Sagent Advisors Hires Veteran Banker Bill Kohr to Bolster Its Automotive and Industrial Practices

NEW YORK--Sagent Advisors (“Sagent”), a leading independent M&A advisory firm, today announced that veteran Citigroup and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) banker Bill Kohr has joined the firm as a Managing Director and Head of Sagent’s new Chicago office. A longtime advisor to some of the largest corporations in the Midwest, Mr. Kohr will also serve as Head of Sagent’s Automotive Group and Co-Head of its Industrial Group.

Mr. Kohr, 44, brings to Sagent more than 20 years of experience in investment banking. He joins Sagent from Citigroup, where he served as a global co-head of the bank’s automotive investment banking group. Prior to joining Citigroup, Mr. Kohr was the global head of the automotive group at DLJ and Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) following the DLJ and CSFB merger in November 2000.

“Adding a banker with Bill’s talent and expertise to our team is an important milestone for our firm, which is built on the premise of providing clients with unparalleled industry knowledge and senior-level advice,” said Sagent President and co-CEO Hal Ritch. “Through Bill’s direct relationships and leadership capabilities we will strengthen our presence in the Midwest, where a significant number of key companies are headquartered. Bill adds an important component to our industry expertise, and is the perfect banker to lead our Chicago operation. As part of our expansion into Chicago, we expect to add several bankers shortly.”

“I am extremely pleased to be joining one of the country’s leading independent investment banks at such a critical time for many of my clients,” Mr. Kohr said. “Sagent has built its reputation on providing clients with a hard-to-find mixture of deep industry expertise and pure, independent financial and M&A advice, and I look forward to working with the team at Sagent to extend its reach into the automotive and industrial sectors.”

Mr. Kohr has served as an advisor to a number of leading automotive and industrial companies during his career and has also worked on several high profile recent transactions, including, among others, advising Ford Motor Company on its sale of Hertz Corporation as well as its landmark $18 billion capital raising transactions in 2006 and 2007; advising Lear Corporation on the sale of its Interior Systems Division to Wilbur Ross's International Automotive Components; advising the Carlyle Group on its acquisition of Allison Transmission from General Motors; and advising GVW Holdings Corp. on the sale of Workhorse Custom Chassis to Navistar International Corp.

Mr. Kohr received a Masters of Management degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Northwestern University. Mr. Kohr also serves on the Alumni Leadership Circle and the Chicago Regional Council for Northwestern.

ABOUT SAGENT ADVISORS INC.

Sagent Advisors Inc. is an independent, privately owned investment bank dedicated to providing clients with high-quality M&A and other strategic financial advice. Sagent Advisors has no lending, trading, research or other structural conflicts —providing its clients with only Pure Advice™. Companies hire Sagent Advisors for the firm’s experience, industry knowledge and senior attention. The firm’s managing directors average over 25 years in the investment banking industry and provide dedicated, hands-on involvement across client projects. For more information: www.sagentadvisors.com