FOUNDER
Peter F. Holt is the Founder and Managing Partner of Aegis Capital Advisors, LLC. Mr. Holt has been involved in the financial advisory services industry for over fifteen years and has amassed significant domestic and cross border M&A experience having lived and worked in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Over the course of his career, Mr. Holt has held senior positions with Salomon Brothers Inc., The Blackstone Group, LLC and Bankers Trust Company. His deal experience spans dozens of high profile transactions exceeding $28 billion in total transaction value including management buyouts, takeover defense assignments, public tender offers, mergers, restructurings, controlled auctions, fairness opinions and division purchases and sales. Mr. Holt's specific advisory experience extends across a broad variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, corrections, catalog retailing, direct marketing, E-commerce, financial services, food service/restaurants, publishing, steel, traditional retailing, transportation and travel services. He has completed transactions for some of the world's leading corporations including The Black & Decker Corporation, Chrysler Corporation, Citicorp Capital Investors Ltd., Fairchild Industries, General Motors Corporation, The Grand Union Company, Guinness plc, McGraw-Hill Inc., Mitsubishi Corporation, Mobil Corporation, NationsBank Corporation, Prudential Insurance Company, Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation and TRW Inc.
Most recently, Mr. Holt served as Managing Director of SunTrust Banks, Inc., ("SunTrust") the nation's ninth largest commercial bank. Mr. Holt joined SunTrust following its acquisition of Equitable Securities Corp., where he was a Partner and Head of the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. At SunTrust, he managed the parent company's Financial Advisory Group which was responsible for devising and executing financial strategies on behalf of the firm's largest clients including merger and acquisition transactions, equity capital raising, debt capital markets transactions and derivative instruments.
Mr. Holt holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a BA in Economics.
Raveesh Asnani, CFA. Mr. Asnani currently serves as Vice President of Aegis Capital Advisors, LLC. Since joining Aegis, Mr. Asnani has successfully completed a number of transactions in the retailing industry including raising venture and growth capital and arranging the stock for asset sale of a major internet retailer in the home furnishings industry. Previously, Mr. Asnani was the Senior Associate in the Financial Advisory Group at SunTrust Banks, Inc. , the nation’s ninth largest commercial bank. In this capacity, he was responsible for advising the firm’s Relationship Managers and clients on a variety of financial transactions including mergers & acquisitions, debt capital and derivative instruments and reviewing strategic alternatives. Mr. Asnani was also responsible for much of SunTrust’s continuing education programs and conducted intensive three-day seminars covering a variety of financial topics including “Debt and Equity Valuation Models” and “Shareholder Value Concepts”. Prior to joining SunTrust, as an Associate in the Strategic and Financial Analysis Group of the International Division at United Parcel Service, Inc. (“UPS”), Mr. Asnani was responsible for the assimilation, analysis and reporting of financial and operating results for over 200 countries served by UPS. In addition, Mr. Asnani was responsible for evaluating potential international acquisitions for UPS. Mr. Asnani has also served as Vice President - North America for Roly International Holdings, Ltd. (a publicly traded multinational holding company) with a variety of interests in the retail industry worldwide. In addition, Mr. Asnani also serves as an active member of several Boards of Directors including those of Sun Hill Industries, Inc., a leading U.S. distributor and marketer of novelty home decorations and of QVDS, Inc. , a leading Internet retailer of home furnishings. Mr. Asnani holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He also earned an MBA from the Georgia State University, Robinson School of Business. Mr. Asnani was also awarded a gold medal for graduating summa cum laude from Nagpur University, India with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering.
ADVISORY BOARD
Aegis is committed to combining extraordinary industry expertise with exemplary investment banking execution capabilities. Our Advisory Board is composed of individuals with substantial senior-level operating experience in the areas of traditional retailing, catalog retailing and direct marketing. These individuals are capable of providing invaluable guidance throughout the execution process to ensure that Aegis achieves the most favorable outcome for your particular transaction.
William R. Fields. Mr. Fields currently serves as Chairman of Aegis Capital’s Advisory Committee. Mr. Fields has over 30 years of experience in the retail industry, including some of retail's most prestigious positions. For four years, Mr. Fields served as President and CEO - Wal-Mart Stores Division of Wal-Mart, Inc., the largest division of Wal-Mart. During his tenure, Wal-Mart, Inc. grew its revenue from $44 billion to $82 billion, the vast majority of which arose from Mr. Field's division. Following his tenure at Wal-Mart, Mr. Fields served as Chairman and CEO, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, a Division of Viacom, Inc. and the nation's largest chain of video rental stores. Most recently, Mr. Fields was President and CEO, Hudson's Bay Company, Canada's leading department store chain. Mr. Fields has served on the Board of Directors of numerous retail enterprises and has significant experience in B-to-C E-commerce operations. Mr. Fields holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Arkansas.
Richard M. Fischer. Mr. Fischer currently serves as a member of Aegis Capital's Advisory Board. Mr. Fischer most recently served as President of Tahari, Inc., a leading international designer and retailer of fashion-forward ladies' apparel. During his five year tenure at Tahari, Mr. Fischer restored the company to solid profitability, dramatically increased sales volumes, developed a new $30 million bridge business, identified new licensing opportunities and opened a chain of fifteen factory outlet stores. Mr. Fischer also served as President of Richard Evans, a New York City-based major men's wear company. While there, Mr. Fischer succeeded in entering the women's wear market, achieving $30 million in revenue in this new division while generating a 12% return on sales within three years of start-up. Prior to this, Mr. Fischer served as President of Justin, Ltd., where he implemented a successful restructuring for this major women's wear firm. Mr. Fischer has also served as a senior-level consultant for numerous apparel/retail companies focusing on merchandising, operations, finance and marketing strategies. His clients have included Starter, Lifeguard Apparel, Rose Marie Reed Swimwear, Immerman's Children's Wear, Gillian Sportswear, Danny Noble and Lego, among others. Mr. Fischer holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Columbia University
Craig Hall Underwood. Mr. Underwood currently serves as a member of Aegis Capital’s Advisory Board. Mr. Underwood is internationally recognized within the direct marketing industry as the creator of Coalition Database Marketing and Coalition Customer Loyalty Programs. Mr. Underwood most recently served as Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Loyalty Group, a Canadian consumer database marketing company that created and markets the AIR MILES Shopping Rewards Program, which today ranks as one of the world's largest multi-company shopping rewards programs with over 9 million members and over 10,000 participating retail locations. Mr. Underwood launched the company in 1991 and today the company employs over 800 people and the program is actively participated in by 60% of Canadian households. In recognition of his breakthrough achievements in database marketing techniques and customer loyalty programs Mr. Underwood was selected as "Direct Marketer of the Year" in 1996 by the Canadian Direct Marketing Association (CDMA). He was also profiled in the Gary Tannyan book, Leaders: Pointers to Success from People of Influence. Mr. Underwood has authored numerous articles on customer loyalty programs and has been a featured speaker at numerous business conferences and university forums. Both the Harvard Business School and the Western Business School have published case studies on AIR MILES Canada. In 1998, Mr. Underwood completed the sale of The Loyalty Group to Alliance Data Systems Corporation, a portfolio company of Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe, a leading private equity group with over $12 billion under management. Prior to founding The Loyalty Group, Mr. Underwood was a Partner in Bain & Co., a leading international management consulting firm. Promoted to Partner in only four and one-half years, Mr. Underwood assisted a broad variety of clients with development and implementation of their corporate strategy including numerous direct marketing and traditional retail businesses.
Mr. Underwood earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from West Virginia University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was student body President. He earned his Master of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Mr. Underwood later earned a Master's of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business.
While in Canada, Mr. Underwood was a Board member of the Canadian Special Olympics, a member of the Honorary Board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, and a member of the Young Presidents' Organization. Upon returning to Boston, he re-joined the board of The Horizons Initiative; a charity he helped start in 1990 that provides pre-school to homeless children. He also serves on the boards of The West Virginia University Foundation, The Loyalty Group, The United States Loyalty Corp., Oxford Properties and the Advisory Board of Risk Transfer Exchange. In addition to his charitable endeavors, he currently is actively involved in advising and investing in growth-stage companies.
For more information, please contact Peter F. Holt at pholt@aegiscapital.net.Our Advisory Staff
