Great American (GA Group), a global advisory, valuation, investment banking, asset-based lending and restructuring firm, majority-owned by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, launched its dedicated transaction opinions practice. The practice will be led by industry veterans Keith Kushin as managing director, Navdeep Singh as director and Julian Samuel as senior manager.
Arriving as a highly cohesive, veteran team that previously built and led premier transaction opinion practices at Houlihan Lokey, Grant Thornton, Alvarez & Marsal and Duff & Phelps, the appointments scale GA Group’s capabilities in delivering independent fairness, solvency and valuation opinions for complex, high-stakes corporate transactions.
Kushin brings over 25 years of corporate finance advisory experience to the firm, with an elite specialization in independent valuation and financial consulting. Throughout his career, he has built a versatile track record advising clients across a wide range of industries. His work spans the sectors driving today’s M&A activity, including technology, healthcare, financial services, energy and industrials, having successfully led or reviewed over 700 fairness and solvency opinion projects.
“We are thrilled to welcome Keith to lead this critical initiative,” Chad Yutka, executive managing director of GA Advisory & Valuation Services, said. “As boards of directors, corporate trustees and special committees face heightened regulatory scrutiny and sophisticated shareholder activism, providing uncompromised independent financial opinions is more critical than ever. Keith’s extensive advisory experience and unmatched track record of managing hundreds of complex opinion engagements make him the ideal leader to deliver the technical rigor and defensibility our client’s demand.”
Joining him are Singh and Samuel, long-term collaborators who have worked alongside Kushin for nearly twenty years. They bring extensive experience in delivering independent fairness, solvency and debt opinions, alongside comprehensive business valuations for both public and private entities. Their collective expertise spans a wide spectrum of complex situations, including M&A, restructurings, sponsor-to-sponsor transactions, spin-offs, recapitalizations and related-party matters.
“The addition of Navdeep and Julian is equally significant, as their two-decade partnership with Keith brings a rare level of execution cohesion and technical proficiency to our firm,” Yutka said. “Having worked together for so long, they offer a seamless, expert approach to complex opinion work that will be a tremendous asset to our legal and corporate partners.”
