LONDON & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Raine Group ("Raine" or the "Firm"), a global merchant bank focused exclusively on investing and advising on technology, media and telecommunications, today announced that Bernard Mourad, a renowned TMT banker, investor and entrepreneur, has joined the Firm as a Partner. Mr. Mourad will launch the Firm’s new office in Paris, France, helping expand Raine’s growing presence in Europe. He joins Raine’s European leadership team, which includes Jason Schretter, Partner and Head of EMEA, and Fred Davis, Partner and industry veteran in music and entertainment.
Mr. Mourad is a notable advisor in the TMT space, with over 20 years of investment banking experience, and is also a founder and investor in media and entertainment, including digital media company, Loopsider, and production company, Films Sous Influence. He was most recently Head of Global Corporate and Investment Banking for France at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Prior to that, Mr. Mourad served as special advisor to President Emmanuel Macron, and as Chairman of Altice Media. He began his career at Morgan Stanley, spending 15 years focused on the TMT sector, advising on over USD 200bn of M&A, IPO and financing transactions.
“As a firm, our goal has always been to be the most knowledgeable and trusted investor and advisor in TMT, using our expertise and global relationships to benefit our portfolio companies and clients. Bernard shares that vision and pedigree, with significant success as a banker, investor, and entrepreneur in our sectors. We are thrilled to have someone of his caliber join the team as we continue to build on what Jason, Fred and the rest of our European team have accomplished,” said Brandon Gardner, President of Raine.
“As a longtime advisor and investor in the TMT sector, I have great respect for the Raine team. Not only has the Firm built a very impressive advisory business throughout Europe, but also a robust investment platform spanning both growth equity and venture capital. This is unique in the marketplace. I am excited to join the team and to ensure that our new office in Paris becomes an incremental engine of growth for our next phase in the region,” said Mr. Mourad.
Said Mr. Schretter, “We have been extremely impressed by the commitment France has made to entrepreneurship within TMT and see the progress via an emerging cohort of some of Europe’s most exciting companies. We want to be a bigger part of that evolution; therefore, Bernard is the perfect addition given his deep connectivity to the local ecosystem and proven experience in executing global growth strategies in the sector.”
Added Mr. Davis, “We have made a lot of progress in building Raine’s European franchise. Bernard’s deep experience in the telecommunications, media and entertainment sectors perfectly complements our focus and expertise and will amplify our efforts on all fronts across Europe. We are excited to have him aboard.”
Raine’s new Paris office represents the latest milestone in the growth of the Firm’s globally focused merchant banking business. The Firm has advised and invested in many prominent technology, music, and sports transactions across the region. Prominent work includes advising SoftBank on its acquisition of Arm Holdings and its subsequent merger with NVIDIA; advising London City Football Group on the sale of a stake to Silver Lake as well as capital raises for European technology leaders, Elvie and BenevolentAI.
In addition to its European advisory work, Raine, which currently oversees USD 4.0 billion (EUR 3.38 billion) in global growth equity and venture capital investments, has several well-known entertainment and technology investments in Europe, including Berlin-headquartered SoundCloud, Stockholm-based Voi Technology, Warsaw-based Huuuge Games, Paris-based Happn, and London-based Moonbug Entertainment.
About The Raine Group
The Raine Group is a global merchant bank focused exclusively on technology, media, and telecommunications. The Firm has offices in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, and Mumbai. With a global reach, Raine focuses on investment and advisory opportunities where its deep industry experience and unique network of strategic relationships can create value for portfolio companies and clients. For more information, visit www.raine.com.