Moelis & Company

Moelis & Company
Name	Moelis & Company
Type	Public
Industry	Investment banking
Founded	2007
Headquarters	399 Park Avenue, New York City
Key people	Ken Moelis, Navid Mahmoodzadegan, Steven Rattner
Revenue	(see Financial Performance)
Employees	(approximate)

Moelis & Company Moelis & Company is a global independent investment bank founded in 2007 that provides advisory, capital markets, restructuring, and wealth management services. The firm has expanded from its New York City headquarters to a network of offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, advising clients in high-profile mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and sovereign advisory matters. Its client roster has included multinational corporations, financial sponsors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and public institutions.

History

Founded in 2007 by Kenneth D. Moelis, formerly of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and UBS, the firm launched during the lead-up to the Global financial crisis of 2007–2008. Early hires included senior bankers from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lazard, and Citigroup, enabling rapid expansion into advisory and restructuring practices. In the 2010s Moelis opened offices in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Sydney, and established relationships with Sovereign Wealth Funds such as the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Qatar Investment Authority. The company completed its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014, joining peers including Evercore, Centerview Partners, Rothschild & Co, and PJT Partners in the independent advisory space. Moelis was active during major market events including the European sovereign debt crisis and the energy sector downturn, building a reputation in restructuring alongside firms like AlixPartners and Perella Weinberg Partners.

Services and Business Units

The firm offers advisory services across mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and strategic transactions, competing with investment banks such as Barclays, J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and Credit Suisse. Its restructuring practice advises debtors, creditors, and committees in chapter cases and out-of-court workouts, similar to engagements by Kirkland & Ellis, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The capital markets and equity advisory teams interact with asset managers including BlackRock, The Vanguard Group, and State Street Global Advisors. Moelis’s wealth management and family office services engage private clients and families like those associated with Rockefeller Family offices and multinational industrial dynasties. Specialized industry groups focus on sectors such as energy, healthcare, technology, real estate, and financial institutions, liaising with companies like ExxonMobil, Pfizer, Apple Inc., Prologis, and HSBC.

Leadership and Governance

The firm’s founder played a central role in shaping strategy alongside senior partners drawn from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and boutique firms. Governance includes a board of directors with members experienced at institutions such as Barclays, Blackstone, CIT Group, and The Carlyle Group. Executive committees coordinate global offices in regulatory jurisdictions including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Conduct Authority, and Monetary Authority of Singapore. The firm has appointed independent directors with backgrounds at JPMorgan Chase & Co., Novartis, McKinsey & Company, and leading universities such as Harvard University and Stanford University.

Financial Performance

After its 2014 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, Moelis reported revenue growth tied to deal flow in M&A, restructuring, and capital markets, with quarterly disclosures compared to peers like Evercore and Lazard Ltd. Performance has been influenced by macro events including the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 stock market crash, and cycles in the energy crisis (2021–present). The firm’s balance sheet and leverage metrics are monitored by credit rating agencies including Moody's Investors Service, S&P Global Ratings, and Fitch Ratings. Compensation and profitability metrics are benchmarked against boutique and bulge bracket firms such as Rothschild & Co, Perella Weinberg Partners, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Notable Transactions

Advisory highlights have included cross-border mergers, spin-offs, and restructuring engagements involving major corporations and financial sponsors. The firm has advised on transactions featuring players like Royal Dutch Shell, AT&T, Walmart, Disney, General Motors, Bayer, Siemens, Bank of America, Citigroup, KKR, Blackstone, TPG Capital, and Apollo Global Management. Restructuring mandates have touched on high-profile debtors that drew attention from Chapter 11 filings and creditor committees, with comparisons to cases handled by Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Sovereign or state-linked advisory work engaged entities similar to the Government of Greece during its debt negotiations and to Middle Eastern sovereign investors active in large infrastructure and energy transactions.

Corporate Culture and Social Responsibility

The firm emphasizes recruitment from top institutions such as University of Pennsylvania, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Columbia University, and Yale University, and professional development shaped by training models used at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Diversity and inclusion initiatives align with industry efforts led by groups like 100 Women in Finance and Out Leadership, and pro bono and philanthropic efforts partner with organizations such as United Nations Children's Fund, American Red Cross, and regional charities across their office locations. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) advisory and engagement reflect growing client demand alongside frameworks from Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures and sustainable finance initiatives promoted by institutions like the World Economic Forum.

Category:Investment banks Category:Financial services companies based in New York City