During his career spanning more than a quarter century, Mr. Blum has provided merger & acquisition, partnering/alliance, corporate finance, and valuation services to hundreds of privately and publicly held domestic and global businesses in most sectors of the economy, including: consumer and industrial manufacturing; distribution and retailing; business and consumer services; and technology. His assignments have spanned the globe, covering North America, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Blum has advised clients on:
The purchase, sale, financing, and/or valuation of numerous businesses and business segments;
Venture and management-led buyouts of companies, divisions, and subsidiaries;
Developing and responding to bids;
Crafting corporate financial strategies for owners, boards of directors, and management;
Seeking equity and debt capital;
Financing alternatives such as private placements, ESOP’s, recapitalizations, and share redemptions;
Court proceedings (as expert witness) involving financial analysis, acquisitions, private placements, and valuation matters;
Business disputes, as an arbitrator; and
Issues facing debtors-in-possession.
Prior to joining the Chartered Capital Advisers team, Mr. Blum was with KPMG LLP, becoming the firm’s youngest-ever partner in 1981. During his career there, Mr. Blum helped establish the firm’s valuation practice and then, as National Director of Corporate Finance, lead KPMG to the #1 global M&A ranking in terms of completed transactions for six of his final seven years there (source: Securities Data Company). He also served as a member of KPMG’s Finance Committee, as quality control partner for M&A and Corporate Finance, and as the firm’s external spokesperson on these topics.
Mr. Blum has an A.B. in Economics, with honors, from Yale University, and a M.S. in Accountancy from the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. He has taught at graduate schools such as Columbia University, New York University, Amos Tuck, and the University of Illinois, and is internationally active in giving lectures and seminars. Mr. Blum has been quoted and published in national publications including The Journal of Corporate Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions Magazine, The Economist, CFO Magazine, Investment Dealers Digest, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Daily, Crain’s, Corporate Finance, USA Today, and the Reuters newswire. He has appeared as guest commentator on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox.