Overview
Cory is a partner in Kirkland’s Private Equity Practice Group and co-leads the Firm’s industry-leading Market Intelligence Team. The Market Intelligence Team leverages Kirkland’s global platform to analyze market developments, transaction themes and industry dynamics to provide market intelligence and strategic advisory services to private equity sponsors.
Prior to rejoining Kirkland, Cory was the Executive Director of Mergers & Acquisitions at Brookfield Financial, the advisory division of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with over $1 trillion in assets under management, where he oversaw M&A and capital raising transactions. Prior to Brookfield, Cory was a Vice President at Greenhill & Co., where he provided financial and strategic advice on significant mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financings, spin-offs and corporate defense matters to public and private corporations in the diversified industrials and infrastructure industries.
Cory began his career as an associate in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and has provided legal, financial and strategic advice to clients on transactions ranging in size from less than $100 million to greater than $10 billion.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Infrastructure sponsor’s utilization of a continuation vehicle to acquire a controlling majority position in a leading data center company
- Leading private equity private firm focused on investments in North America based companies which provide highly engineered solutions to their customers, on its first and final close of flagship fund
- Middle market private equity firm’s formation of flagship diversified buyout fund
- Consortium of global infrastructure sponsors’ sale of North American toll-road
- Private equity sponsor’s acquisition of a provider of diversified shelf-stable staple food brands
- Global infrastructure sponsor’s strategic partnership with leading developer and owner of rural gigabit broadband fiber
- Infrastructure consortium’s minority investment in North America’s largest ports terminal and stevedore operator
- Infrastructure sponsor’s acquisition of European publicly-listed smart tolling and traffic management company
- Global infrastructure asset management firm’s evaluation and launch of open-ended vehicle utilizing a cross-fund transfer of seed assets
- Middle market private equity firm’s evaluation and utilization of continuation vehicles for three of its leading portfolio companies
- Emerging private equity sponsor’s analysis and completion of a seed investment from an institutional limited partner for the purpose of accelerating growth
- Global asset management firm’s evaluation of market-based alternatives relating to its succession planning
- Global infrastructure asset management firm’s analysis of market intelligence relating to select transaction terms
- Global credit investor’s review of alternatives for accelerating growth of assets under management
- Middle market private equity firm’s internal restructuring for the purpose of institutionalizing succession planning, remuneration and reporting
- Private equity sponsor's restructuring, divisional carve-out and initial public offering of luxury apparel company
- Private equity sponsor’s Section 363 acquisition of restaurant company serving signature sandwiches, entrees and ice cream desserts
- Private equity sponsor’s acquisition of a grower, packager and distributor of branded and private-label fresh produce
- Private equity sponsor’s acquisition of a designer, wholesaler and retailer of premium branded women’s apparel and accessories
- Private equity sponsor’s sale of a designer, wholesaler and retailer of outdoor and travel apparel
- Private equity sponsor’s sale of a designer of clothing and accessories for women and girls
- Private equity sponsor's acquisition of telecommunications services company providing design, installation, maintenance and repair solutions
- Private equity sponsor's sale of a provider of IT security and data backup and recovery solutions
- Private equity sponsor’s simultaneous acquisition of four companies to form a technology-enabled travel business
- Private equity sponsor’s acquisition of a pharmaceutical, biotechnology and material testing services company
- Private equity sponsor's growth equity investment in yoga and fitness apparel and accessories company
- Private equity sponsor's sale of a designer and manufacturer of custom-designed sensors, including position, speed and timing sensors
- Private equity sponsor’s mezzanine financing of an insurance premium financing company
- Private equity sponsor's formation of North American focused flagship middle-market fund
- Venture capital firm’s investment in two infant consumer companies specializing in recycled products and infant health
Select Financial Advisory Matters*
- Brookfield Business Partners L.P.'s sale of BGRS, a global talent mobility firm, to ReloGroup, Inc. – $230 million
- Public aerospace firm's defense related to an unsolicited offer – greater than $3 billion
- Alcoa Inc.'s separation into two independent, publicly-traded companies – greater than $13 billion
- Fluor Corporation's formation of COOEC Fluor Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. – $1.0 billion
- Alcoa’s Inc.’s activism defense relating to Elliott Management’s ~7% equity ownership
- Lane Industries Incorporated's, a privately held infrastructure construction firm, sale to Salini Impregilio – $406 million
- Alcoa Inc.’s acquisition of TITAL GmbH, a privately-held German manufacturer of aluminum and titanium castings – $230 million
- NYKPorts LLC's, a tri-costal port operating and stevedoring company, sale of a 49% stake to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners
- Alcoa Inc.'s acquisition of RTI International Metals, Inc., a producer and global supplier of titanium mill and fabricated products – $1.5 billion
- Confidential Infrastructure Construction Firm’s amendment of its credit facility – $125 million
*All Financial Advisory Matters occurred at institutions other than Kirkland - the Firm does not provide financial advice
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- Illinois
Education
- Harvard Law SchoolJ.D.
- Michigan State UniversityB.A., Financewith Honors