Houlihan Lokey Advises The Lockwood Group

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that The Lockwood Group (Lockwood), an industry leader in scientific-based medical communications for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries, has received a strategic investment from a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corp. (NYSE:ARES) (Ares). The transaction closed on October 12, 2021.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Lockwood communicates clinical and therapeutic advances to every type of medical expert, healthcare practitioner, and decision-maker. For the ultimate benefit of patients, Lockwood helps clients advance their objectives in a world of new regulations, business models, payment approaches, technologies, roles, and work practices. Lockwood teams are organized around the specific needs of each client. With extensive experience in oncology, rare diseases, and all major therapeutic areas, along with highly specialized knowledge in biologics, devices, and diagnostics, Lockwood can quickly deploy the right scientific, business, and communications experts to address the challenges at hand.

Lockwood’s executive management team, led by Chief Executive Officer Matthew Schecter and Chief Operating Officer Christine Hinkle, will continue to guide the company with an emphasis on growth, capability expansion, and providing leading scientific thinking to life science clients. As a five-time Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America winner and a seven-time Best Places to Work in Connecticut winner, Lockwood will maintain its commitment to delivering exceptional client service, the highest caliber scientific expertise, and a supportive team culture.

Ares Management Corp. (NYSE:ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate, and infrastructure asset classes. It seeks to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for stakeholders and within communities. By collaborating across its investment groups, Ares aims to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of June 30, 2021, including the acquisition of Black Creek Group, which closed July 1, 2021, Ares’ global platform had approximately $262 billion of assets under management, with approximately 2,000 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Lockwood and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on its behalf. This deal highlights Houlihan Lokey’s leading experience in the pharma services space and represents the firm’s 10th transaction in this sector since 2019.