In just four years, the headcount of boutique investment bank Moelis & Co, founded by former UBS Investment Bank president Ken Moelis, has grown to about 500. The firm has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Houston, London, Dubai, Sydney and Hong Kong. It is soon to open an office in Beijing and in March signed an alliance with Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
There is likely more expansion to come. Mark Aedy, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, who is also responsible for all of Moelis' operations outside the US (excluding Australia, which is headed by JPMorgan veteran Andrew Pridham), says the firm would like a presence in India and Brazil, and to extend its European footprint with offices in Frankfurt and Paris. There are industry gaps the firm is filling: it is still building its oil and gas business, and its footprint in the financial institutions sector, for example.
