Geoff Blythe and Gunter Frangenberg have departed Guggenheim Partners to join Solomon Partners as partners, beginning in New York this month at the boutique advisory, per a statement viewed by Bloomberg News. Their LinkedIn profiles show both previously held the title of senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking arm. A Guggenheim representative declined to comment.
Blythe, who joined Guggenheim in 2015, will become Solomon's industrials chair. Frangenberg, who has been at Guggenheim since 2016, will lead Solomon's coverage of chemicals, specialty materials, along with life science tools and diagnostics. The firm said the pair will broaden Solomon's reach across diversified industrials and into areas such as specialty materials and chemicals; filtration and water; tools and diagnostics for life sciences; and other industrial end markets.
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Solomon has long played in mid-cap consumer, industrials, and business services deals, and it has been working to break into larger transactions. Bringing in two senior rainmakers with big-cap M&A chops could speed that shift. The pair have collaborated for years, noting in an interview that they first worked together at Merrill Lynch. They resigned from Guggenheim in June and have counseled major corporates on transactions; one example is Merck KGaA's plan, disclosed in June, to acquire Bio-Techne Corp. for $11.3 billion.
Blythe sees the moment as pivotal for industrials, noting, "It's a really interesting time to be in industrials, just because there are so many end markets the industrial space touches on." He added, "This electronic or AI revolution is having a profound impact on industrials and healthcare." Frangenberg said he's watching what he calls "AI on the edge," referring to real-world uses of AI within robotics - such as humanoid robots and automation. Meanwhile, in April, Natixis SA reduced its majority stake in Solomon Partners, returning control to the New York-based advisory's management after about a decade. For clients, that combination of fresh leadership, ownership independence, and AI-driven end markets could shape the kinds of deals Solomon chases next.
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