Rothschild Global Advisory added Chris Gaertner to the firm, effective August 7, 2017, as the global head of technology, and will lead the launch of the its new office in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Walid Khiari will also join the firm as a managing director on its technology team. The Bay Area office is the seventh Rothschild office in North America, and second to open in the past year.

With nearly 30 years of experience, Gaertner has significant depth and breadth within the technology sector, most recently with Credit Suisse as managing director and global head of Corporate Finance Technology Investment Banking. Prior to Credit Suisse, Gaertner was a managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and held roles as head of Technology Investment Banking and head of Global Software and Enterprise Technology Investment Banking. He was also previously a managing director and head of Global Software at Lehman Brothers.

Khiari joins Rothschild after spending 20 years in investment banking. He joins Rothschild from Credit Suisse where he served as director of Technology Investment Banking. Prior to this, he worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Technology Investment Banking group.

Jimmy Neissa, head of Rothschild North America, said, “This is a very exciting day for the firm. Chris and Walid have an exceptional reputation and background in technology, and we are delighted to welcome them to the team. Chris’ background and depth of experience will serve the entire firm and our global clients well, and we are certain that he is the right choice to lead our technology practice and launch our new office in Silicon Valley.”

On the firm’s opening of its office in Silicon Valley, Robert Leitão, managing partner and head of Rothschild Global Advisory, said, “We have been serving clients in the San Francisco Bay Area for some time, and the opening of our office there will allow us to strengthen our team, ensuring that our clients continue to have access to the best people and advice. The U.S. and North American markets are a strategic priority for our firm, and this announcement demonstrates our commitment to the region. Following the opening of our Chicago office last year and the success of our team in Los Angeles over the past few years, Silicon Valley is another key piece in our plan to build out the business in the U.S.”