(Bloomberg) -- French dealmaker Erik Maris has agreed to join boutique advisory firm Perella Weinberg Partners LP to strengthen its coverage of French and European clients across sectors.
Maris, 60, is taking on a senior role and will be working closely with Perella’s partners including David Azema in Paris and Dietrich Becker in London.
The Frenchman has more than 30 years of investment banking experience at both bulge bracket banks and M&A boutiques. He co-founded and led advisory firm Messier Maris & Associés with Jean-Marie Messier from 2010 to 2020, a time during which he advised on more than 200 transactions including Peugeot maker PSA Group’s merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Maris is joining Perella as competition in the investment banking landscape in France increases, with US advisory firm Evercore Inc. opening an office in Paris this year.
Perella has worked with French clients since its inception and has been on the ground in the French capital since 2018. The firm has seen significant momentum across its European business recently, and Maris would provide quality advice and deep expertise to clients in Europe, according to Becker, who’s also president at Perella.
“Erik is an industry leader with extensive relationships, an impressive reputation, and a proven track record,” said Cyrille Perard, Perella’s partner and France president. “His ability to provide innovative advice across a large span of industries is well recognized through corporate clients and financial sponsors.”
Maris spent nearly 20 years at Lazard Inc. He joined the firm in 1991 after his first job at Morgan Stanley. He rose through the ranks to become managing partner and co-managing director of Lazard France.
Since 2020, he worked as an advisory partner at Advent International and was recently appointed chairman of the board of Idemia Smart Identity, one of the buyout fund’s key investments in France.
In 2021, he co-founded an energy-focused special purpose acquisition company, dubbed Transition, which later merged with Arverne Group, a French company that specializes in geothermal and low-carbon lithium. He remains a board member at Arverne’s main subsidiary Lithium de France.
Maris is an avid sailor and a sports car race driver with frequent appearances in the “24 Hours of Le Mans” race which is known for its high-speed stretches. The banker has won several sailing competitions including the Mumm 30 World Championship in Miami in 2006.
--With assistance from Chris Miller and Sam Nagarajan.
(Updates with more details from fifth paragraph.)
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