Mr. Rowan G.P. Taylor is the founding and Managing Partner of Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry. Since 2005, Mr. Taylor has led the investment of over $3.0 billion in equity capital in over 30 acquisitions of businesses serving the aerospace and defense industry, including the investment of over $1.2 billion in equity capital in over 20 acquisitions since the formation of Liberty Hall. Liberty Hall was founded in 2011 as the first, and remains the only, private equity firm singularly focused on investments in middle market businesses serving the aerospace and defense industry. Prior to founding Liberty Hall, Mr. Taylor was a Partner of Oak Hill Capital Management, where he was head of its Basic Industries group, led a group of investment professionals focused on aerospace, industrial and transportation businesses, and served on Oak Hill’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Oak Hill in 1999, Mr. Taylor was a Principal in the Merchant Banking group of CS First Boston and its successors, The Clipper Group and Monitor Clipper Partners.
Ms. Anita Antenucci is the Founder and Managing Partner of 3Wire Partners, an investment and merchant banking firm advising and partnering on Mergers and Acquisitions and capital placement for aerospace, defense and government contracting companies. From 2002 to 2022, she was a Senior Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey's Aerospace • Defense • Government practice and a member of the firm's board of directors prior to its IPO in August 2015. Prior to that, she served as the Co-President and Managing Director of Quarterdeck Investment Partners, a boutique industry investment bank acquired by Jefferies Group in 2022. Ms. Antenucci has three decades of investment banking experience and has been involved in over 300 transactions for an array of Fortune 500 and international companies, small-caps, entrepreneurs, and private equity owners. Her clients have included most of the world's leading aerospace/defense contractors.
Mr. Michael Richter focuses on companies in the defense, commercial aerospace, and New Space markets. With more than three decades of investment banking experience, he is one of the most accomplished aerospace & defense dealmakers, having closed more than 350 transactions, valued at north of $100B in total transaction value. Previously, he served as Global Head of A&D Investment Banking at Lazard. Prior to Lazard, he was President of Jefferies Quarterdeck, the Aerospace & Defense business of Jefferies & Co. Prior to Jefferies, he was a Managing Director and Head of CIBC Oppenheimer's Aerospace & Defense Investment Banking Group and Head of their SF office. Mr. Richter started his professional career focused on the technology sector, holding roles at IBM and the technology investment banking groups of Kidder, Peabody & Co., and Montgomery Securities.
Mr. William H. Alderman (Bill) is an M&A specialist in the middle market of the aerospace and defense industry with over $2 billion in mergers and acquisition-related transactions to his name. Prior to founding Alderman & Company in 2001, he worked for 15 years on Wall Street and in the Aerospace & Defense Industry, principally on M&A transactions in the middle market. His employers included BT Securities, Fieldstone, and General Electric. Mr. Alderman is a Securities Principal registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and has four securities industry licenses (Series 7, 24, 63, and 65). In the past, he has served on the following boards: UFC Aerospace, now a unit of Boeing, Cox & Co., an ESOP-owned manufacturer of de-icing systems, Breeze-Eastern Corporation (AMEX: BZC), now a unit of TransDigm, Telos Corporation (NASD: TLS), DLH Corporation (NASD: DLHC). Mr. Alderman has been quoted as an industry expert by Bloomberg, Reuters, MarketWatch, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.
Dr. Kevin Michaels has 40 years of professional experience, including more than 600 consulting engagements for leading aviation and aerospace companies across the globe. In 2001, he co-founded AeroStrategy and successfully grew the consultancy until its acquisition by ICF International in 2011. Earlier, he was Director, Strategic Development at Rockwell Collins Government Systems and a Principal with The Canaan Group — a consultancy that co-founded the MRO Conference series with Aviation Week Network. Dr. Michaels is a globally recognized expert in the aerospace manufacturing and MRO sectors and has significant functional expertise in corporate and business strategy, M&A advisory, technology and market assessment, and cluster development. His experience spans commercial and military markets. Dr. Michaels authored AeroDynamic: Inside the High-Stakes Global Jetliner Ecosystem, winner of the 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Annual Gilbert W. Speed Award for leadership across the global aerospace supply chain. Dr. Michaels co-authored Time Machines: A Modern History of Business Aviation with his colleague Richard Aboulafia.
Joanna Speed specializes in uniting prominent and influential aerospace industry leaders to illuminate pressing issues, proactively confront industry challenges, and deliver answers to stakeholders. She recently served as Chief Growth Officer of an alliance of distribution companies, providing supply chain solutions to the A&D industry, and previously was the Managing Director, Aerospace and Defense Events for the Aviation Week Network — which included the SpeedNews Legacy — where she led the launch and execution of multiple events, marketing strategies and audience engagement platforms. During her prior tenure, she emerged as a thought leader for pioneering forecasting and intelligence forums in the A&D arena. In 2022, she played a pivotal role in the successful launch of AeroOne — a groundbreaking initiative for the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan, to unite aerospace OEMs and suppliers in the Midwest region. Also, she advised the Association for Corporate Growth - Los Angeles, particularly through the successful curation and launch of the Aerospace & Defense Middle Market Leadership Forum, a program strategically designed for dealmakers within the sector. Joanna is a recipient of the Service to the Flag Award for Industry by Women In Defense and served as President for the Women In Defense Greater Los Angeles Chapter — a subsidiary organization under the National Defense Industrial Association. She is a member of the Board of Directors of LeFiell Manufacturing, and is dedicated to serving A&D middle market companies, while also maintaining a commitment to community volunteer work. Recently, she was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top 15 most influential women in aerospace.
Mr. Stephen Perry has over 25 years of corporate finance and investment banking experience, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate divestitures, management buyouts, and debt and equity financing. Notable transactions include advising Frontier Systems in connection with its sale to the Boeing Company, as well as industry legend Burt Rutan in connection with the sale of Scaled Composites to Northrop Grumman. More recent transactions include the acquisition of Thomson Aerospace & Defense, a subsidiary of Meggitt PLC, by UmbraGroup S.p.A; the sale of Matrix Composites to ITT; and the sale of IntelliPower to AMETEK. Mr. Perry has extensive relationships with ADS companies both in the USA and overseas and has been involved in a number of cross-border transactions. Previously, he held various roles at Credit-Suisse First Boston, Kayne Anderson and Irving Trust Company.
Mr. Richard Aboulafia joined AeroDynamic Advisory in January 2022. Since 1988, he has tracked aircraft programs, markets, and companies as an analyst and consultant. At AeroDynamic Advisory, he manages consulting projects in the commercial and military aviation field and analyzes broader defense and aerospace market and industry trends. Mr. Aboulafia has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe, and Asia.
