Houlihan Lokey, a global investment bank, hired Sandro Galfetti as a managing director in the firm’s capital solutions group. He will be based in Zurich.
As a senior member of the equity capital solutions team, Galfetti will focus on advising EMEA-based private capital sponsors on GP-led transactions, including single- and multi-asset continuation vehicles. The equity capital solutions team now has approximately 40 dedicated financial professionals in New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, and Zurich.
Galfetti will partner with Michael Pilson, who is relocating to London, to lead the firm’s GP-led secondary advisory business in Europe.
Galfetti joins the firm from UBS Investment Bank, where he was head of EMEA secondary advisory, focusing on private capital secondary transactions and sponsor-led liquidity solutions. Prior to joining UBS in 2020, he worked at PJT Partners as a managing director in the Park Hill secondary advisory unit in London, advising on a wide range of liquidity solutions for European financial sponsors and limited partners. Between 2008 and 2014, Galfetti worked on the secondary buyside as a senior member of Capital Dynamics’ private equity secondary investment team, working in the U.K., U.S. and Switzerland. He began his career in financial services at Swiss Re in 2002, based in Zurich.
“We’re delighted to welcome Sandro to the firm. He brings outstanding expertise and a proven track record advising on complex transactions across the secondaries landscape and shares our client-first approach,” Gregg Newman, managing director and global co-head of Houlihan Lokey’s capital solutions group, said. “His appointment reflects the continued growth and strength of our capital solutions business, which offers one of the most comprehensive advisory platforms for general partners and alternative asset managers. From strategic liquidity solutions to bespoke capital structuring, our team is uniquely positioned to support clients across the full spectrum of their needs.”
“We believe current secondary market growth will take dollar volumes to new heights over the short, medium and long-term,” Matt Swain, managing director and global co-head of equity capital solutions, said. “Sandro’s appointment is proof of that conviction, specifically in the EMEA region. Houlihan Lokey is investing to stay at the forefront of secondary market advisory.”
“As the secondaries market continues to mature and expand, clients are increasingly seeking sophisticated, tailored liquidity solutions to meet their capital and strategic objectives,” Galfetti said. “Houlihan Lokey’s strength in capital solutions, coupled with its breadth of industry expertise and financial sponsor relationships, makes it uniquely positioned to lead in this dynamic space. I’m thrilled to be joining a team that is redefining what it means to be a trusted advisor in alternatives.”
