Equiteq advises Water Street Partners, a leading joint venture and alliance advisory firm, on its sale to Ankura
“It is hard to imagine the Equiteq team of Adam Tindall, Dan Kim, Ravi Dosanjh, and Tom Tartaglia delivering a deal under more difficult circumstances. The COVID pandemic was breaking out as we signed the LOI – Adam and the team steered us through tremendous uncertainty with dogged persistence, extraordinary effort, real creativity, and integrity.”
- Geoff Walker, Co-Founder Water Street Partners.
Water Street Partners, LLC (“Water Street”), a premier joint venture and alliance advisory firm, announced on July 2, 2020 that it has been acquired by Washington, D.C.-based global business and expert advisory firm, Ankura.
Water Street Partners was founded in 2008 when McKinsey & Co. colleagues James Bamford and David Ernst, along with Corporate Executive Board alum, Geoff Walker, set out to find a better way to do what they love: advise on unique, highly complex joint ventures and alliances. Water Street soon augmented its leadership team with the vital additions of Gerard Baynham and Peter Daniel to grow the enterprise into the world’s premier joint venture and alliance advisory firm. Water Street’s core service offering is centered on transaction, governance, and portfolio advisory services for joint ventures and alliances. In late 2019, Water Street engaged Equiteq’s M&A team to run, manage, and execute a transaction. Water Street is partnering with Ankura to accelerate its growth organically and continue to build on its leading position in the joint venture and alliances market.
"We are excited to join the Ankura team, and we share a commitment to serving clients and a common culture focused on collaboration and respect," said James Bamford, a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Water Street. David Ernst, also a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Water Street, added, "We look forward to working together with our new colleagues and helping them grow our combined businesses through a continued commitment to exceeding our clients' expectations."
Ankura is a business and expert advisory firm based in Washington, D.C. that is widely recognized as the global leader in providing expert advice across a broad array of complex and highly challenging situations.
"We continue to grow our business by attracting top talent in defined and attractive market segments and fostering a collaborative environment that encourages these leaders to leverage one another's insights and expertise to deliver high-quality, customized solutions to our clients," said Kevin Lavin, Chief Executive Officer of Ankura. "Water Street is a proven leader in the joint venture and alliance advisory sector. This combination extends our delivery of expert advice to an expanding global client base facing complex and challenging situations."
Regarding Equiteq’s role in the transaction, Co-Founder and Managing Director Geoff Walker said, “My Co-Founders and I had been consumers of Equiteq’s research for years before embarking on our sale process. It was clear to us that they were deeply experienced in our space and this became even more apparent when we evaluated Equiteq alongside a number of other, highly respected investment banks. Adam and the team did not disappoint. We are thrilled with the value they helped us capture, and more importantly, the home they found us at Ankura to continue to grow our business, serve our clients, and create opportunities for our team.”
Adam Tindall, Managing Director of Equiteq’s North America practice, commented, “It has been an honor representing the world’s premier joint venture and alliance advisory firm in this transaction. The Water Street team have done a fantastic job at building a highly specialized and successful practice, and Ankura will be a great home to support the company’s growth. We wish the combined team great success.”