Frank Bretag

Frank Bretag is a managing director in the M&A Advisory practice in Germany and is based in the Frankfurt office. He has more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance with a focus on cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

Frank has acted as an independent advisor to boards and shareholders and advised numerous mid- and large-cap listed corporates and private businesses on a broad range of corporate finance matters.

He has deep expertise in a variety of industrial sectors, including engineering, manufacturing, high-performance materials (including carbon fibers and composites), specialty chemicals and industry 4.0 technologies and equipment (such as automation, analytical instruments, lasers, sensors, intralogistics, etc.).

Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, Frank was a senior member of the transaction advisory practice at Georgieff Capital Advisors. During his 15-year career at Georgieff Capital Advisors, he successfully executed many corporate finance, public and private, predominantly cross-border M&A mandates. Frank began his career at Deutsche Bank and spent several years in the corporate finance team in London, focusing on European industrial M&A.

Selected engagements include:

• Advising German listed, high-performance materials manufacturer SGL Carbon SE over a 10-year period on financial strategic matters, including the acquisition and disposal of businesses, corporate governance and financing related issues
• Advising Switzerland-based specialty chemicals group Clariant AG on its public takeover of German Süd-Chemie AG as well as on a series of add-on acquisitions in Europe and North America
• Advising the management board of Demag Cranes, the listed German-based manufacturer of industrial crane systems and port automation technology, prior and during the takeover by U.S.-based Terex Corporation
• Advising the management board of an MDAX listed industrial corporate on potential takeover threats and possible defense scenarios and options
• Advising the (institutional) shareholders of a Germany-based additive manufacturing equipment producer and a U.S.-based analytical instruments manufacturer on their exits
• Advising the founders of Backwerk, a Germany-based bakery franchise system, on the sale of a majority stake to financial sponsor EQT

Frank has co-authored and assisted in publishing a series of articles on corporate finance related topics at the Institute of Law and Finance of Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.

Frank received a master’s degree in business administration and mechanical engineering (Diplom-Wirtschaftsingenieur) from Technical University (TU) of Darmstadt, Germany.