Houlihan Lokey Building a Transatlantic Platform for Specialty Distribution
Houlihan Lokey has taken another deliberate step in building out its European industrials franchise, appointing two senior advisors to expand its specialty distribution coverage across the continent. The move reflects a broader recalibration underway in Europe’s industrial and infrastructure supply chains, where distribution businesses are playing a more strategic role in value creation, resilience, and cross-border growth.
Based in Frankfurt, the new hires anchor a dedicated European specialty distribution capability that connects directly with Houlihan Lokey’s established North American platform. For construction, infrastructure, and industrial technology stakeholders, the expansion signals a sharper advisory focus on a sector that increasingly underpins everything from capital equipment supply and aftermarket services to energy transition hardware and advanced manufacturing inputs.
Specialty Distribution Moves Up the Strategic Agenda
Specialty distribution has long been viewed as a quieter corner of the industrial landscape. That perception has shifted materially over the past decade. Distributors today sit at the intersection of manufacturers, contractors, asset owners, and operators, managing increasingly complex product portfolios, technical services, and logistics networks. In construction and infrastructure, they are critical enablers of uptime, compliance, and productivity.
Across Europe, the sector has benefited from structural tailwinds. Fragmented national markets, family ownership transitions, and the need for scale to support digitalisation and sustainability initiatives have all driven M&A activity. At the same time, private equity interest has intensified, attracted by resilient cash flows, pricing power in niche segments, and opportunities to professionalise operations.
Houlihan Lokey’s decision to deepen its advisory bench in this space reflects these dynamics. Rather than treating distribution as a subtheme within broader industrials coverage, the firm is positioning it as a distinct subsector with its own transaction logic, valuation drivers, and cross-border opportunities.
Frankfurt as a Strategic Hub for European Industrials
Locating the new team in Frankfurt is no accident. Germany remains Europe’s largest industrial economy and a central node for pan-European dealmaking. From a distribution perspective, the region hosts a dense ecosystem of mid-market businesses serving construction equipment, building materials, industrial automation, energy systems, and specialist components.
Frankfurt also offers proximity to financial sponsors, family offices, and multinational corporates that are actively reshaping their European footprints. By embedding specialty distribution expertise in this environment, Houlihan Lokey strengthens its ability to originate and execute transactions that span multiple jurisdictions and industrial verticals.
The appointments are designed to work in tandem with the firm’s U.S. distribution franchise, enabling clients to access coordinated advice on transatlantic growth strategies, carve-outs, and capital markets solutions. For European businesses eyeing North American expansion, or U.S. players seeking a foothold in Europe, that connectivity has become increasingly valuable.
Philipp Widmann to Lead European Specialty Distribution
The new European specialty distribution team will be led by Philipp Widmann, who joins as a Managing Director following more than a decade advising distribution businesses across Europe. His career has been shaped by transactions spanning mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, with a particular focus on business-to-business distribution models.
Widmann brings a combination of sector fluency and relationship depth that is essential in Europe’s relationship-driven mid-market. Specialty distributors often operate in technically demanding niches, where understanding product complexity and end-market exposure is as important as financial engineering. That background positions the new team to engage credibly with founders, management teams, and sponsors navigating strategic change.
Speaking on his move, Widmann highlighted the platform he is joining, noting: “I am delighted to be joining Houlihan Lokey as the firm expands its specialty distribution capabilities in Europe. Its unmatched depth of sector expertise, global reach, and collaborative culture provide a unique platform to deliver best-in-class solutions for clients. I look forward to contributing to the team’s ongoing momentum, leveraging our combined experience and relationships to support clients in achieving their strategic objectives and driving sustained growth across the region.”
Henning Stoltze Strengthens Execution Capability
Joining alongside Widmann is Henning Stoltze, appointed as a Director and also based in Frankfurt. Stoltze has spent the majority of his career focused on specialty distribution, working closely with Widmann on a range of transactions and advisory mandates.
His appointment reinforces the firm’s emphasis on execution depth as well as origination. In a market where deal processes are increasingly competitive and timelines compressed, having senior bankers with hands-on transaction experience is critical. For clients, that translates into tighter deal management, clearer positioning, and a stronger understanding of how to navigate both strategic buyers and financial sponsors.
Together, the two appointments create a nucleus for a scalable European specialty distribution practice, with the capacity to support mandates across Germany, the Benelux, the Nordics, Southern Europe, and beyond.
Building Momentum Across European Industrials
The Frankfurt hires sit within a wider pattern of investment across Houlihan Lokey’s European Industrials Group. The firm has been steadily adding senior expertise in priority subsectors, reflecting a belief that differentiated industry knowledge is essential in a more selective deal environment.
Recent additions include targeted coverage in aerospace and defence, as well as continued reinforcement of core industrial verticals. This approach mirrors broader market trends. As financing conditions have tightened and valuations normalised, clients have become more focused on advisors who can articulate a clear equity story grounded in sector realities rather than generic transaction metrics.
For construction and infrastructure-adjacent distribution businesses, that nuance matters. Many are exposed to cyclical end markets but offset this with long-term service contracts, aftermarket revenues, or regulated demand drivers linked to energy transition and public investment. Effective advisory requires the ability to frame these characteristics convincingly to global investor audiences.
Leadership Perspective on European Expansion
Senior leadership at Houlihan Lokey has framed the appointments as a milestone in the firm’s global industrials strategy. Bill Peluchiwski, Global Head of Industrials, emphasised the confidence underpinning the move, stating: “Philipp and Henning’s arrival represents yet another important milestone in the expansion of our global Industrials Group. Their appointment is indicative of our belief in the continued growth of the European specialty distribution market and exemplifies our focus on delivering outstanding, client-focused outcomes across the global markets where we operate.”
From a subsector standpoint, Reed Anderson, Co-Head of Specialty Distribution, pointed to the transatlantic logic of the expansion: “We are excited to be expanding our market-leading North American Specialty Distribution practice by building out our European expertise, establishing a global platform that delivers enhanced advisory expertise and access across both continents. We look forward to partnering with Philipp and Henning to unlock more opportunities for our clients in both Europe and North America.”
European leadership echoed that sentiment. Frank Merkel, Co-Head of Industrials in Europe, noted: “We’re delighted to welcome Philipp and Henning to the Industrials Group. Hiring seasoned advisors of their profile materially enhances our expertise in specialty distribution, at a time of sustained momentum in Europe. Their deep sector knowledge, broad transaction experience, and established client relationships will accelerate the momentum of our European industrials platform, further reinforce our market leadership, and ensure we continue delivering innovative, high-impact solutions across diverse markets and subsectors.”
Why This Matters for Construction and Infrastructure Markets
For readers across construction, infrastructure, and industrial technology, these appointments are more than an internal staffing update. They underscore the growing recognition that distribution businesses are strategic assets rather than passive intermediaries.
In an era of supply-chain localisation, digital procurement, and performance-based contracting, distributors increasingly influence project outcomes and lifecycle costs. Advisory platforms that understand this role are better positioned to support consolidation, cross-border expansion, and capital allocation decisions that shape the sector’s future.
Houlihan Lokey’s strengthened European specialty distribution capability also reflects a broader trend toward more integrated, global advisory models. As infrastructure investment becomes more international, and as industrial technologies converge across regions, clients are looking for advisors who can connect local market insight with global execution.
A Platform Built on Transaction Experience
The expansion builds on Houlihan Lokey’s established reputation within industrials advisory. The firm’s Industrials Group has been consistently active across M&A, capital raising, restructuring, and valuation assignments, with a focus on mid-market and upper mid-market transactions where sector expertise can materially influence outcomes.
In 2025, the group was ranked as the leading M&A advisor for global industrials transactions under $5 billion, advising on 71 deals. That track record provides the European specialty distribution team with a data-rich foundation and a proven execution framework as it scales its regional presence.
As Europe’s industrial and construction ecosystems continue to evolve, the ability to advise distributors navigating consolidation, succession, and strategic repositioning will remain in demand. With its latest appointments, Houlihan Lokey is signalling that specialty distribution sits firmly at the heart of that agenda.
