The former DeSilva+Phillips (D+P) announced today that it is stepping up its integration with mid-market M&A firm Oaklins, changing its name to Oaklins DeSilva + Phillips, and now operating as the primary Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) specialist of Oaklins.
According to a company statement, Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, the independent financial firm offering financial advisory services, has 30 professionals who will now collaborate with 49 Oaklins TMT bankers internationally. Overall, the Oaklins TMT practice employs 79 bankers across 40 countries, and has completed almost 200 transactions in the past three years.
The D+P change comes at a time when, according to a company press release, many transactions in the industry are becoming cross-border. Additionally, the statement says that the merging of technology, media and telecom reflects the need for M&A advisors to reach mobile and tech savvy users.
“Telcos are providing agency services; Publishers are becoming information companies and app developers; and Technology companies are leading the charge in content creation, both user generated and proprietary,” the company press release states.
D+P was originally launched in 1996, closing over 300 deals since its inception and serving as a crucial player in M&A brokerage for the magazine industry. The organization is headed by Roland DeSilva, chairman, and Reed Phillips, managing partner.
Phillips tells Folio: that D+P has not sold an equity stake. He says the organization has implemented the shared brand name, but will continue to run its business independently in terms of economics and decisions, hoping to increase its collaboration with the other firms through the integration with Oaklins.
Oaklins, formerly known as M&A International, rebranded last fall to its current name. Under the rebrand, the 30-year-old organization changed its international structure, seeking to advise middle-market companies around the world in mergers and acquisitions.
The two organizations have been working together for the last several years. Late last year, D+P announced that it planned to further integrate with Oaklins, stating that the combination had increased the size of its investment banking team from 24 professionals to 700, as well as its geographic footprint.
Seven deals have recently been completed by Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips with its Oaklins colleagues across the globe, including in Paris, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Toronto and Cleveland. In 2015, Mergermarket ranked Oaklins as the #1 middle market bank and last year, the firm’s 158 transactions generated a reported value of $6.1 billion, according to a company statement.
