PJ Solomon, a financial advisory firm, appointed Sash Rentala managing director to lead its newly formed financial sponsors group.

Rentala specializes in advising institutional investors, including private equity, hedge funds and family offices, on services, including M&A, restructuring, and debt and equity capital transactions.

“Creating a financial sponsors coverage team is a key milestone in executing on our firm’s long-term growth strategy and one which Sash is uniquely qualified to lead,” Marc Cooper, CEO of PJ Solomon, said. “His deep relationships with the investment community, combined with his extensive investment banking experience and growth-mindset, will add substantial value for our clients going forward.”

Since entering into a partnership with Natixis in 2016, PJ Solomon has expanded coverage to include industry sectors such as energy, fintech, infrastructure power and renewables, and TMT and plans on a continued build-out of the platform. The creation of a financial sponsors group serves as a driver to the firm’s sector coverage by providing increased dialogue and deal flow to institutional clients focused on private investments.

“The needs of sponsors are always evolving, but what will always be of great value is connectivity with bankers that live and breathe the sectors they cover,” Rentala said. “I look forward to bringing creative solutions for the firm’s buy-side clients by marshaling its deep expertise across a broad range of sectors and capabilities.”

During the last 12 years, Rentala most recently served as a managing director in financial sponsors coverage at Moelis & Company, where he helped build and expand the bank’s private equity business. Prior to that role, Rentala spent more than six years as an executive director of restructuring and leveraged finance at UBS, where he advised on middle market and large cap deals across a range of sectors, working with both corporate and financial sponsors clients.

Rentala began his career in investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Prior to that, he served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and was based in Japan.