Houlihan Lokey Advises Council Advisors

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Council Advisors (CA), a founder-led, C-Suite advisory firm serving CEOs, executives, boards, and investment firms for more than 20 years, has received its first institutional investment from Tayeh Capital Group (TCG), a relationship-based, growth-focused private equity firm dedicated to building enduring value in the middle market. In partnership with CA’s founders and management team, TCG’s inaugural, majority investment will cultivate and grow CA’s team of talented consultants and accelerate its go-to-market initiatives. The transaction closed on July 21, 2026.

CA was founded in 2004 to help CEOs, boards, and leadership teams execute their strategic priorities and drive improved performance and results. CA has more than 160 professionals across three practice groups: SSA & Company, which advises companies on comprehensive operating strategy and performance improvement, The Miles Group, which advises Fortune 500 companies on executive development and succession planning, and High Lantern Group, a strategic communications firm. CA’s practice groups will continue to operate under their existing brand names and leadership teams.

TCG was founded in 2025 by Dave Tayeh and Jay Alix with the backing of GCM Grosvenor (through its Elevate Fund) and partners primarily with founders and management teams of family-owned and rapidly growing companies in professional and industrial services sectors, leveraging its deep operational expertise and extensive network to accelerate growth and create value through strong and sustainable growth.

“Dave and the TCG team bring decades of experience helping professional services companies reach their full potential, and my CA partners and I are confident they are the right partner for our next chapter of client-centric growth,” said Dave Niles, Co-Founder and CEO of CA. “The TCG team believes in our differentiated model and shares our belief that collaborative working relationships yield the best outcomes. By partnering with TCG, we will gain additional strategic expertise needed to win the most complex client mandates and further invest in attracting and retaining the best talent.”

TCG’s senior leaders bring significant experience investing in and scaling leading professional services and advisory businesses. TCG will collaborate with CA to provide the team with the additional expertise needed to continue scaling the business and delivering exceptional client service.

“At a time where change is the only constant, it is more important than ever for C-Suite executives to have a trusted advisor who can help them see around corners and position their teams for success,” said Dave Tayeh, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of TCG. “Council Advisors has achieved just that with its three highly differentiated service lines and proven track record of helping C-Suites and Boards navigate the most critical and impactful issues. We look forward to working closely with Dave, Scott, and the rest of the talented CA team to execute their strategic growth plan while staying true to their founding values and collaborative culture.”

“The Council Advisors team has built an incredible franchise and developed a well-earned reputation as a trusted partner to C-Suite executives,” said Scott Miller, Co-Founder and Board Member of CA. “While searching for a partner to help position us for our next chapter, TCG immediately stood out based on the team’s relationship-oriented approach and history of helping founder-led companies grow and deliver strong results in all operating environments. TCG believes in our model, and we know they are the right partner to help us grow our business without losing sight of our unique culture and client-centric approach.”

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to CA. This transaction exemplifies the continued success of Houlihan Lokey’s dedicated coverage of the specialty consulting and risk market to deliver an outstanding result to the selling shareholders. Vedder Price P.C. acted as legal counsel to Council Advisors. Willkie Farr & Gallagher, LLP acted as legal counsel to Tayeh Capital Group.

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