Headwall Partners is a corporate finance and strategic advisory firm focused on the steel metals & mining and paper packaging & building products industries. Led by veteran investment banker Peter J. Scott, Headwall Partners provides strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity private placements, restructurings, valuations, and other financial services. Clients rely on Headwall Partners for its in-depth industry knowledge, candid advice, and intellectual rigor. Headwall Partners conducts its business in alliance with affiliate firms in order to augment Headwall’s industry expertise with the specific product expertise of its affiliates. Headwall Partners is based in Delray Beach, Florida, and serves clients globally.

I was handpicked by Jefferies CEO to lead the Americas Industrials Group and strengthen its market position while continuing to serve as Global Head of Basic Materials Investment Banking. I held full accountability for P&L, strategic planning, staffing, budgeting, and team morale. I led dramatic growth in the industrials sector, growing the team from 45 to 85 professionals covering 17 industry subsectors in seven offices and reaching annual revenue of $225+ million.I gained the support of key team members at all levels for my strategies that improved morale, reduced staff attrition, and significantly grew revenue. Many of the initiatives I introduced were later adopted company-wide, including establishing clearer career paths, performance management criteria, semi-annual performance reviews, staffing optimization techniques, and training programs for junior professionals.During this period of rapid team growth, we avoided cultural disruptions while adding ~ 50 new members to the team in 18 months. I promoted a strong culture of teamwork and worked to maintain high morale. As part of the growth, I recruited 11 new Managing Directors, opened three new offices, and hired teams of support professionals. Under my leadership, the team prepared detailed annual budgets, earned approval from management and buy-in from all stakeholders, and consistently achieved the aggressive financial performance goals.

The Head of Investment Banking recruited me to be one of three founding members of the Jefferies' Industrials Group. My challenge was to establish the firm’s presence in the basic materials sectors: steel, metals, paper, packaging, building products, building materials, and mining. Initially I covered all of these sectors, then over time I hired and managed senior sector specialists to focus on each sub-vertical while narrowing my personal focused to steel, metals, and mining.I built the leading middle-market Steel & Metals group on Wall Street, growing the business to the #1 bank by market share in all target products, including M&A, IPOs, equity, and high yield. By building trusted relationships with CEOs, CFOs, and board members at major corporations, I was able to secure underwriting and advisory roles in capital markets and strategic transactions for Jefferies, then follow through with flawless execution. I completed transactions ranging from $100 million to more than $7 billion.Representative clients by transaction type include the following: IPO: Ryerson, Globe Specialty Metals, MetalsUSA, Luxfer, Edgen Group, and Claymont Steel. Equity: Materion, Oregon Steel, AM Castle, Fortescue Metals, DMC, and Novamerican Steel. Bonds: Essar Steel, Edgen Group, Ryerson, JMC Steel, AM Castle, Optima Steel, and Tempel Steel. Term Loans: Essar Steel, JMC Steel, AM Castle, Packaging Dynamics, Ft. Dearborn, and Lincoln Paper. M&A: Edgen Group, Optima Specialty Steel, AM Castle, Claymont Steel, RathGibson, and Olympic Steel. Restructuring: Alpha Natural Resources, Patriot Coal, RathGibson, Abitibi-Bowater, and Pliant.

I was recruited by the Head of Industrials Investment Banking to strengthen relationships with major paper sector companies and establish coverage of the global packaging sector. I was later asked to also head coverage of the steel and metals sector. I managed all aspects of client transactions, from sourcing through execution and close. By building relationships with CEOs and CFOs at major corporations, I secured underwriting and advisory roles for Morgan Stanley in capital markets and strategic transactions. Under my leadership, Morgan Stanley quickly attained #3 market share position for the global packaging sector. Representative clients by transaction type include the following: IPO/Equity: Georgia-Pacific (The Timber Company), Armstrong (Dal Tile), PCA, US Steel, Plum Creek Timber, Silgan, and Smurfit-Stone. Bonds: Buckeye Technologies, Smurfit-Stone Container, Silgan, Steel Dynamics, and Graphic Packaging.M&A: Weyerhaeuser, Smurfit-Stone Container, Century Aluminum, and Graphic Packaging.

In this role, I worked directly with corporate CEOs and CFOs on all aspects of the execution of investment banking transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, debt capital raising, and equity capital raising. My work included conducting comprehensive due diligence of business operations and financial data, drafting SEC filings, developing roadshow presentations and scripts, building detailed financial projection models, preparing ratings agency presentations, and performing business valuations.

I worked as a management consultant and turn-around specialist – responsible for completing process improvement, productivity enhancement, and cost reduction projects for major corporations globally. My specific role was to lead joint teams of Coopers & Lybrand and client staff in the completion of projects specific to individual business units or divisions, culminating in detailed recommendations of process improvement and cost reduction opportunities. • Conducted due diligence and detailed documentation of existing business processes.• Prepared detailed recommendation and implementation plans for process improvements to increase productivity and reduce costs.• Presented recommendations to corporate executive teams and boards.Representative clients / projects:AT&T Network Systems, Little Rock, AR:• Designed and implemented an “activity-based costing” system -- at the time a pioneering concept in managerial accounting which determines product costs based on the actual consumption of resources as opposed to the traditional method of cost allocationQantas Airways, Sydney, Australia:• Led the team that completed a detailed review of all Accounting functions and of the Freight Division• Recommended significant process improvements to accounting functions to reduce staffing levels and accelerate the speed of the quarterly financial closing• Recommended the divestiture of the Freight DivisionSaks Holdings, New York, NY:• Led the team that completed a detailed review of the staffing levels, job functions, and sales techniques for all of Saks Fifth Avenue’s retail store locations• Recommended process improvements to reduce overall store staffing costs by ~25% while improving sales effectiveness• Presented findings to executive management, a special committee of the Board, and independent consultants