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At Houlihan Lokey, our people have always been our biggest asset, adding value to our business in countless ways. Below, you are able to meet some of our recent joiners. Read about the exciting range of projects they are involved in, and find out what drew them to Houlihan Lokey.
Matilda Kanjere

Job Title: Financial Analyst, Corporate Finance
Education: BEng, Chemical Engineering, Birmingham University

While at university, I took part in a number of internships across different sectors, which helped me realize that M&A appealed to me most. What I really enjoy about M&A is the opportunity to work with companies to understand how they operate and what makes them successful.

Having studied engineering, I didn’t have a finance background, but this wasn’t essential. There are great training programmes, and though it is a steep learning curve, you quickly gain significant financial experience and are able to make a meaningful contribution from very early on.

At Houlihan Lokey, we run very lean deal teams, so as a Financial Analyst, you have a significant amount of responsibility as well as the opportunity to interact with clients. At the start of a deal, there is a lot of analysis—of a company’s financials, its customers, and its markets. There is also a significant amount of work done to establish how to position the business and what the key drivers of growth are, which often includes financial modeling.

As the deal progresses, Financial Analysts project-manage due diligence and the Q&A process. Financial Analysts are typically involved in the entire process, from cradle to grave, which means you get an in-depth understanding of the business as well as the broader industry in which it operates.
Jonathan Lee

Job Title: Financial Analyst, Corporate Finance
Education: BA, Philosophy, Politics & Economics, King’s College London; MSc, Management, Imperial College London

While earning my master’s, I undertook an internship with one of Houlihan Lokey’s main competitors. From this, I knew Houlihan Lokey had a good reputation and deal flow, and I worked opposite them in various transactions. I was impressed with the quality of the people I met; they seemed both intelligent and considerate, so I decided to apply.

Working in an independent investment bank means more responsibility and exposure to the entire deal process. I have friends in larger banks, and they don’t seem to get the same level of exposure. On the other hand, Houlihan Lokey is also big enough to have a global platform; it combines the best of both worlds.

I work in the Consumer, Food & Retail Group, where we mostly advise companies on M&A transactions. As a Financial Analyst, you are the engine of the deal team, keeping things moving along and making sure seniors get all the material and analysis they need. You conduct financial analysis, create marketing materials, deal with logistics and due diligence, and act as an intermediary between client requests and the other advisors. Most of the work you produce, even at the most basic level, will go to the client and could even be circulated at a wider industry level.

For an investment bank, the culture is very laid-back. Though we are high achievers, the environment is not overly competitive; we have a very collaborative culture.
Lorraine Capone

Job Title: Financial Analyst, Financial Restructuring
Education: BSc, Finance and Statistics, New York University

Financial restructuring appealed to me because it is a challenging area involving a lot of technical analysis, strategy, and problem-solving. I joined initially on an off-cycle internship and chose Houlihan Lokey because they are one of the strongest teams in the restructuring industry; I knew I could learn a lot from working with them.

We advise distressed companies and lenders on issues regarding liquidity and the terms of their debt. We help them by negotiating with lenders or on the lenders’ behalf. My day-to-day work involves a lot of phone calls, communicating with the different parties involved in the restructuring, creating presentations, and running analysis on proposed solutions. We work in very small teams for each project, so as a Financial Analyst, you are completely involved.

What I like about my job is that there’s a real problem that urgently needs to be solved. Without the solutions my team comes up with, the companies we work with might not survive, so you really see the impact of your work.

The culture at Houlihan Lokey is great; it is incredibly diverse, with people from all over the world. In many places I’ve worked, I’ve been the only female, but I was pleasantly surprised here; on the analyst level, we’re almost evenly matched.
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