The hire and the timing
PJT is adding L'Esperance to its strategic advisory bench, with her arrival planned for early next year in New York, per people familiar with the decision. Those people declined to be identified given the confidential nature of the hiring process.
A PJT representative declined to comment on the move, and a UBS spokesperson could not be reached.
L'Esperance's track record
While at UBS, L'Esperance held the title of executive vice chairman within the investment-banking division and began jointly running the strategic client group in 2023. Her LinkedIn profile indicates that in 2014 she came to UBS as the co-head of global banking, following prior posts at Barclays Plc and Lehman Brothers.
In a March memo, Marco Valla - co-president of the investment bank - described her as "one of the most influential bankers on the Street," and added that she drove "many of our most important relationships with alternatives and corporate clients." She has advised across products and sectors and has extensive experience partnering with private equity firms and managers of alternative assets.
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A broader buildout at PJT
L'Esperance's arrival tracks with another recent senior pickup at PJT: veteran Bank of America dealmaker Thomas Sheehan, reported by Bloomberg News this month. Most recently, he held a chair role in Bank of America's global corporate and investment banking group.
PJT, led by Chief Executive Officer Paul Taubman, ended Friday at $149.71 a share, implying a market capitalization of about $6.6 billion.
Why it matters for your portfolio
Advisory firms trade on relationships, and adding a top rainmaker with alternatives expertise can help widen the funnel for mandates. Combined with another high-profile hire, PJT looks like it is stocking up for a more active market when sponsors and corporates step back in.
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