Solomon Partners, a financial advisory firm and independent affiliate of Natixis, expanded its financial institutions group with the hiring of Juan Guzman as a partner, and Faiz Vahidy and Matthew Cornish as managing directors. The trio previously worked at Houlihan Lokey and will now collaborate with their former colleague Arik Rashkes, who started at Solomon in December as head of the recently formed financial institutions group.
“Collectively Juan, Faiz and Matt represent a meaningful step toward rapidly building out our financial institutions practice,” Marc Cooper, CEO of Solomon Partners, said. “They each have substantial experience across a variety of subsectors and have successfully worked together in their prior roles.”
“My colleagues are well known and respected across the financial services industry as talented investment bankers who are dedicated to serving clients,” Rashkes said. “Together, we will further develop Solomon’s financial institutions advisory services.”
Guzman specializes in mortgage services and insurance, as well as the broader real estate services sector. He has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, advising clients on a diverse range of transactions, including M&A, capital raising, valuations and special committee assignments. Prior to joining Solomon, Guzman was a managing director in Houlihan Lokey’s financial services group focused on the mortgage services and insurance sectors. He earned an MBA with concentrations in corporate finance and law & business from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BA in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I look forward to contributing to Solomon’s growth and success by expanding the financial institutions group and the sub-sectors we serve,” Guzman said. “The firm’s commitment to excellence and client-focused approach aligns with my professional values and goals.”
At Solomon, Vahidy will primarily focus on advising insurance distribution companies on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, divestitures, fairness opinions, strategic planning and other corporate finance engagements. He has more than two decades of experience in financial services, covering insurance distribution companies including MGAs, MGUs, BGAs, IMOs and FMOs. He has successfully executed a wide variety of transactions for insurance carriers, insurance services providers and insurtech companies. Vahidy received a BBA from the George Washington University and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
In his new role, Cornish will specialize in insurance services and illiquid financial assets, leveraging his extensive experience in corporate finance and advisory services. He previously served as a director in Houlihan Lokey’s financial services group & illiquid financial assets group. Over the past 15 years, Cornish executed transactions across multiple industries and asset classes, including benefits, claims, TPAs, property & casualty insurance, life settlements, tax receivable agreements, minority equity, receivership wind-downs and private equity and hedge fund LP interests. He holds a BS in accountancy, economics and business administration with a concentration in finance from Villanova University.
