Western Alliance Bank added Brad Alvarez to its growing business escrow services group as senior director, sponsor and strategic partnerships.
Alvarez is a highly respected attorney with expertise in private equity and merger and acquisition activities. Within Western Alliance Business Escrow Services, he will partner closely with the business development team to accelerate sponsor and strategic engagements on the West Coast while supporting national growth initiatives. He will also play a central role in shaping and launching Western Alliance Business Escrow Services’ evolving sponsor services offering, informing product and process development with practical knowledge of sponsor expectations and operational pain points.
“Over the past year, Business Escrow Services has experienced significant growth, nearly tripling our strategic book of business. Today, we are seeing increasing demand to serve the private equity market and have identified the opportunity to more strategically focus on developing our capabilities and innovating in this space,” Heather Kelly, senior managing director and head of business escrow services and M&A specialty services at Western Alliance, said. “Brad brings a valuable combination of sponsor fluency, market depth and transaction execution experience. His insight into private equity needs and his collaborative approach are an excellent fit with our mission to deliver powerful solutions that add measurable value for clients.”
Alvarez joins Western Alliance Bank from his role as vice president of legal for a San Francisco-based private equity firm specializing in a high-growth and complex roll-up strategy. During his tenure, he collaborated with the firm’s portfolio companies, gaining direct experience with portfolio-level workflows, deal timelines and closing and post-closing requirements. Earlier in his career, Alvarez practiced law at Latham & Watkins with the firm’s mergers and acquisitions group in the Palo Alto and San Francisco offices, advising on more than $30 billion in transactions for strategic acquirers and sponsors. He began his career as an analyst at Credit Suisse in the bank’s investment banking division.
“I am honored to join Western Alliance Business Escrow Services, especially after experiencing firsthand the level of service and caliber of the team from the client side,” Alvarez said. “The competitive M&A landscape is seeing a convergence of legacy players and emerging entrants, which is intensifying competition and compressing margins. It makes for an exciting time to join this dynamic group and an organization that is moving toward being the nation’s leader in commercial banking.”
Alvarez earned his bachelor of arts degree in government with a minor in economics from Harvard University and his Juris Doctor from University of Virginia School of Law. A collegiate NCAA D-1 Academic All-American skier, he remains connected to the sport as a member of the Board of the Palisades Tahoe Community Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting young amateur athletes interested in developing skills in snow sports.
