Former Credit Suisse Banker Barret Creates M&A Boutique

Olivier Barret, Pierre-Arnaud de Lacharriere and Francois Vigne are joining forces to create Sycomore Corporate Finance, an acquisition and financial advisory boutique.

The three partners own a majority stake in the Paris-based firm backed by Sycomore Asset Management, according to a statement by the new firm. Sycomore Corporate Finance has a team of about 10 investment bankers and a network of partners abroad.

Barret was co-head of Credit Suisse (CSGN) AG’s investment bank in France, Belgium and Luxembourg since 2009, after spending more than 15 years at Morgan Stanley. (MS)

In 2001, Lacharriere took part in the takeover of Hawkpoint Partners Ltd., NatWest Group’s investment bank, as well as the creation and development of its Paris office. Before that, he worked almost 10 years at Clinvest, Credit Lyonnais’s investment bank.

Vigne started his carrier at CCF Charterhouse Ltd. in 1995 before joining the mergers and acquisitions department of Credit Agricole SA. (ACA) He was managing director at Societe Generale SA (GLE)’s corporate finance unit.

To contact the reporter on this story: Francois de Beaupuy in Paris at fdebeaupuy@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jacqueline Simmons at jackiem@bloomberg.net