BrazilCésar Ciriza and Manuel de Macedo Santos join Alantra in Iberia
Corporate finance advisory firm Alantra has made two high-profile appointments in the Iberia region.
In Spain, César Ciriza has joined the firm’s Investment Banking team as a Managing Partner. Ciriza brings over 20 years of experience to the role, having advised on deals worth more than €150 billion during his career. He takes the reins of Alantra’s Infrastructure and Energy division globally.
Ciriza joins the consultancy from his own investment banking boutique, which he launched last year. Before that, he founded and led Evercore's Iberian operations for seven years as Managing Director, growing the unit into a respected player in the Spanish and Portuguese markets.
“César is an outstanding addition to our Investment Banking division,” said Miguel Hernández, CEO of Alantra’s Investment Banking division. “We are delighted to expand our expertise in one of the most active sectors in the M&A landscape globally. We believe that César’s knowledge, experience and talent will contribute to the growth of the practice, particularly in Europe and Latin America.”
Alantra’s Infrastructure and Energy division has advised on several landmark deals in the past years, including the sale of Q-Park to KKR for €3 billion; the sale of Gestamp Biomasa to Tikehau; Repsol’s acquisition of Viesgo’s retail and low-emission generation business for €750 million; the privatisation of 66% of the Greek gas operator DESFA in a deal valued at €535 million; and AENA’s IPO, valued at more than €4 billion.
Meanwhile, in Portugal, Manuel de Macedo Santos has been brought on board as Head of Alantra’s Credit Portfolio Advisory (CPA) division. This unit advises banks, non-bank lenders and financial investors on credit portfolio and other credit-related transactions. De Macedo Santos succeeds Carlo Savani, who has been promoted to a regional role within the CPA division.
De Macedo Santos joins the consulting firm from financial services firm Axia where he was Director in the Investment Banking Division. Previously he spent five years as senior manager in the corporate finance and advisory division of Oliver Wyman. He brings to the role almost 15 years of experience in investment banking, strategy consulting and private equity in the Iberian market.
Globally, Alantra’s Credit Portfolio Advisory unit has over 150 dedicated professional, eight of which are based in Portugal. The local unit has been involved with over 20 transactions in the past three years, including transactions for Inter Alia, Santander Totta, Banif Banco de Investimento, Novo Banco and Cerberus.
Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Jenke, Managing Partner of Alantra’s Credit Portfolio Advisory team said: “We are delighted with the addition of Manuel. He brings an impressive CV working as a financial advisor to banks, corporates and investors and across Europe, coupled with extremely strong technical skills. I’ve no doubt that Manuel will continue to expand the capabilities and activities of Alantra in Portugal.”
