Alvarez & Marsal bolstered its Private Equity Performance Improvement practice with the addition of Joseph Coote and Mike Darland, who join as managing director and senior director, respectively. Based in Boston, the executives bring complex subject matter expertise and extensive leadership experience to the firm’s diverse range of private equity clients.

Coote is a 20-year veteran of the chemical, energy and industrial sectors where he has led international teams focused on target identification, due diligence, corporate turnaround, M&A, corporate valuation, cross-functional performance improvement, interim management and post-merger integration. Darland has more than 25 years of operational and consulting experience in manufacturing operations, research and development, strategic planning and business development. He specializes in interim leadership, pre-acquisition due diligence, acquisition integration, enterprise and operational performance improvement, integrated supply chain management and corporate strategy.

Coote has led more than 100 assignments within the chemicals value chain and participated in 35 transactions including landmark cross-border international deals.

Before joining A&M, he was SVP and global sector leader for Hitachi Consulting, and managing director and global leader of Arthur D. Little’s Energy and Chemical practice, the group responsible for 40% of the firm’s revenue. He also served as an equity analyst covering the large-cap international chemical sector for Sanford C. Bernstein.

Darland has led pre-acquisition due diligence teams for myriad private equity investments, as well as multiple assessments and performance improvement activities. Before joining A&M, he was a director with Deloitte Corporate Restructuring and previously held leadership roles at firms, including a national turnaround and performance improvement group, a corporate officer for a multi-billion dollar integrated pulp and paper company, and an executive for a major global consumer electronics and camera company. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he holds an MBA in finance and strategic planning from the University of Massachusetts. He is also a Certified Professional in Supply Management. He recently retired as a Captain in the Naval Reserves after five command tours, during which he served as a nuclear submarine officer and was certified as a professional engineer on multiple nuclear reactor facilities.

“Private equity investors are increasingly pursuing complicated, technical and time-consuming opportunities in order to continue to generate significant returns,” said Nick Alvarez, managing director and national practice leader of Alvarez & Marsal’s Private Equity Performance Improvement Group. “Such investments require the expertise of senior industry professionals such as Joe and Mike, who can help ensure deals are informed by proper due diligence and value is created through a deep understanding of the sectors in which these companies operate.”