BDO Capital Advisors announced that David Burns has joined the firm as a managing director in the firm’s New York office. Burns has successfully executed more than 30 financial advisory engagements representing more than $20 billion of aggregate transaction value on behalf of a variety of clients including privately held businesses, publicly-held corporations, equity sponsors and other alternative asset managers, court-appointed fiduciaries and government agencies. In addition, he has advised on transactions across many major industry groups, including packaging, building materials, auto, transportation, consumer products, business services, specialty finance and basic manufacturing.

Burns focuses on financial restructuring and special situations M&A and financing transactions, with substantial experience in the middle market. He also has advised on cross-border transactions, traditional M&A transactions, private placements, ESOP transactions and fairness and solvency opinions on behalf of his clients and has provided advice in connection with mass-tort situations, severely under-funded pension plans and the financing and acquisition of international arbitration claims against foreign sovereigns.

“David is a key addition to the firm and we are pleased to welcome him,” said Jeffrey R. Manning, group head of BDO Capital’s special situations group. “He has extensive middle market financial restructuring and distressed M&A experience that fits well with BDO’s existing clientele. David’s skill set and industry experience will make him a valuable resource to the firm and our clients.’

Prior to joining BDO Capital, Burns was a principal at Skatoff & Company, where he worked on various special situations financing and strategic advisory engagements. Previous to Skatoff, he was a principal with the Financing Advisory and Restructuring group of Greenhill & Company, where he advised companies and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation on a number of financial restructuring and distressed M&A transactions, including Lyondell-Basell, Chemtura, Fleetwood Enterprises, Delphi, Constar International and FlexSol.

Burns joined Greenhill from Merrill Lynch, where he helped establish the Global Special Situations Group within Merrill’s investment bank. Before Merrill Lynch, Burns was with the Financial Restructuring Group of Houlihan Lokey, where he advised companies, creditors and investors in a wide range of financial restructuring, distressed M&A, private placement, M&A and valuation engagements. Before moving to investment banking, Burns practiced bankruptcy and business reorganization law in the New York office of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, before which he served as law clerk to the Hon. Leif M. Clark, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas.