Appoints New Partner; Promotes 10-Year Company Veteran to Senior Director of IR and Head of New Digital Communications Practice
Establishes Advisory Board
NEW YORK, June 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The IGB Group (“IGB” or the “Company”), a full-service independent investor relations, capital markets, and strategic communications advisory firm, announced today organizational changes to support its next phase of growth.
“Coming off the best year in our 22-year history, we have continued to grow our investor relations, strategic communications and capital markets advisory offerings and are poised to accelerate the growth of our business and the breadth of our evolving service offering to clients,” said Leon Berman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The IGB Group. “Based on our significant momentum and strong long-term outlook, we have taken steps to further enhance our organization to support this important next phase of our expansion.”
Mr. Berman continued, “We are pleased to name Bryan Degnan as our first new partner since inception. Over the past ten years, Bryan has become an integral member of IGB’s management team and a trusted and respected advisor to executives and boards. We are also excited to promote Matt Berkowitz to Senior Director of IR and Head of our new digital communications practice. Since 2013, Matt has differentiated himself as a top IR and strategic communications professional who has consistently exceeded clients’ expectations.”
Appoints Partner and Announces Promotion
IGB named its first new partner in its 22-year history, appointing Bryan Degnan as Partner and Managing Director. Mr. Degnan joined The IGB Group in 2013 from cross-border investor relations consultancy Taylor Rafferty. He will work closely with the managing partner to oversee the strategic direction of the firm and will continue to provide strategic investor relations and capital markets advisory services, as well as strategic business development communications, to boards and management teams of a diverse client portfolio of both public and private companies.
Matt Berkowitz was promoted to Senior Director of Investor Relations and Head of Digital Communications. Mr. Berkowitz, who joined the firm in 2013, has extensive experience leading public company investor relations and financial communications programs across a wide range of industries, including Industrials, Transportation, Specialty Finance and Consumer Goods. In addition to his IR responsibilities, he will spearhead IGB’s new digital communications practice, with a focus on connecting clients with their key audiences through the implementation of digital, social media and design services.
Establishes Advisory Board
IGB established an Advisory Board and appointed public-company finance and capital markets veterans Steve Bishop, John Burns and David Spivak as its inaugural members. The advisory board will work closely with IGB management to identify and take advantage of growth opportunities and to ensure IGB’s continued thought leadership in the evolving investor relations, capital markets and strategic communications sectors.
Mr. Berman commented, “Over my 30-year career, I have been lucky to work with talented and visionary executives. Steve, John and David are three such individuals from whom I’ve learned a great deal, and I am honored to welcome them as inaugural members of IGB’s new Advisory Board. I’m excited to work with such experienced and proven finance and capital markets leaders, as IGB continues to support leading companies’ business and capital markets objectives aimed at driving valuation.”
Mr. Bishop has over 35 years of leadership, financial and operational experience, with a focus on working with public companies and private equity firms. During his career, he has led a number of companies as CFO and COO, including NetJets, (owned by Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway), Algeco Scotsman (the parent company of NYSE-listed WillScot), and SeaCube Containers (formerly listed on the NYSE and sold to a private buyer). Mr. Bishop is currently an external advisor for Bain and Company. He also is the founder of Worth Brothers (WB), an advisory business that works with private equity firms to drive significant change in their portfolio companies. The most recent WB project focused on Mr. Bishop assuming the role of CFO at Internova Group (previously Travel Leaders Group).
John Burns has over 35 years of leadership, corporate finance, business development and capital markets experience. Mr. Burns spent over 25 years with Triton International Limited, the world’s largest lessor of intermodal containers, taking on increasing leadership roles including the last 13 years as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. As a public company CFO, Mr. Burns has a proven track record of delivering value and growth through developing strong relationships in the capital markets, executing strategic equity and debt raises, formulating and implementing accretive capital allocation strategies as well as spearheading business development, mergers, strategic financial management, and investor relations initiatives. Throughout his tenure at Triton, Mr. Burns played an integral role in the company’s growth, highlighted by the completion of its transformational merger in 2016 and subsequent accelerated growth in earnings, market cap and industry leadership. Prior to joining Triton, Mr. Burns spent 10 years with Ernst & Young focused on specialty finance clients.
Mr. Spivak has 30 years of capital markets and corporate finance experience, having built a career as an investment banker, capital markets advisor and chief financial officer for both private and public companies. Mr. Spivak was Group Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of Persis Holdings Ltd., a private investment company based in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Spivak also served as Chief Financial Officer of Seaspan Corporation, the world’s largest containership lessor. Mr. Spivak spent the majority of his career at Citigroup as an investment banker, holding numerous positions, including Managing Director in the Investment Banking and US Equity Capital Markets Groups, Canadian Head of Global Capital Structuring and Chief Operating Officer of Citigroup Global Markets Canada. Mr. Spivak serves on the boards of directors of Höegh LNG Partners LP and Accord Financial Corp.
About The IGB Group
The IGB Group is a full-service independent investor relations, capital markets, and strategic communications advisory firm, offering a broad range of services aimed at supporting leading companies’ business and capital markets objectives aimed at driving valuation. Since its founding in 2001, the firm has served as a trusted advisor to a diverse roster of clients, including established industry leaders and emerging innovators in both the public and private realms across a broad range of industries. Through this varied experience, The IGB Group has helped clients lower their cost of capital, manage crises and complex issues, build an optimal shareholder base, increase sales, enter new markets, and achieve favorable outcomes in mergers and acquisitions. For more information, visit The IGB Group website at www.igbir.com.
CONTACT:
Kevin Shi
kshi@igbir.com
646-588-2423
