Case Study: Strengthening Industrials Coverage for a Boutique Investment Bank

Brief
Croft & Co was engaged by a leading boutique investment bank to identify a senior hire for its Industrials team, which focuses on advanced manufacturing, building materials, and environmental services. The firm had grown rapidly in recent years and wanted to deepen its sector expertise with a proven dealmaker who could bring both leadership and origination capability.

The ideal candidate needed to combine a strong M&A track record with the credibility to engage owner-managed and private equity–backed businesses — while fitting seamlessly into the bank’s entrepreneurial, partnership-led culture.

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Approach
We began by mapping the senior talent landscape across both bulge-bracket and mid-market platforms, identifying individuals with relevant deal experience and networks within the Industrials ecosystem. Alongside technical and commercial criteria, we prioritised personal attributes — collaborative leadership, client empathy, and long-term vision.

Through a targeted and discreet search, we engaged with a shortlist of senior professionals leading subsector coverage in speciality manufacturing and industrial technology. One candidate stood out: a Managing Director at a mid-market advisory firm known for leading complex cross-border transactions in engineered products.

We managed the process with transparency on both sides, ensuring the candidate’s ambitions for cultural alignment and growth were balanced with the client’s need for a team-oriented leader who could make an immediate impact.

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Results
The candidate joined as a Senior Managing Director within the Industrials team and has since played a key role in expanding the bank’s franchise in industrial technology and sustainable manufacturing. Within their first year, they originated several new client relationships and have been instrumental in mentoring mid-level bankers as the team continues to grow.

Beyond transactional impact, they’ve acted as a cultural anchor within the firm — contributing to leadership discussions, supporting talent development, and helping define the next phase of strategic growth for the firm as a whole.

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