Robert A. Bartell, CFA

Bob Bartell, CFA, is Managing Director and Global Head of Duff & Phelps’ Corporate Finance practice and CEO of Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC. He’s also a FINRA registered broker/dealer. Bob joined Duff & Phelps in 1997 and specializes in a broad array of corporate finance advisory engagements, including fairness opinions, solvency opinions, M&A advisory, financial restructurings, ESOP formations, shareholder disputes, financial due diligence, strategic advisory and debt advisory. 

Bob has extensive experience in cross-border M&A transactions. He expanded the firm’s European Corporate Finance practice while working at the firm’s London office, during 2008-2010, through a combination of acquisitions and strategic hires. Bob was instrumental in opening the firm’s Corporate Finance branches in Brazil, China and India. He has advised on a number of going-private transactions involving UK, Chinese, French, Canadian and Brazilian companies listed on public stock exchanges. Before joining Duff & Phelps, Bob worked in the commercial banking department at BMO Harris. 

Bob holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. in agricultural economics from The University of Illinois-Champaign. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and holds the FINRA Series 7, 79, 24 and 63 licenses. Bob is currently a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Executives Club of Chicago and The Chicago Commonwealth Club. He is currently enrolled in an eLearning executive leadership program (LEAD) at Stanford University’s GSB.

From 2015 through 2020, Bob volunteered as a member of the board of directors of Camp Kesem, a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer. Bob also serves on the committee of the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois for the Middle Market Open charity event and the committee for the Lurie Children’s Hospital charity event.

A few of Bob's financial advisory client engagements include:

• Advised the board of directors of Macy’ Inc., the largest U.S. department store operator as measured by sales on its debt refinancing and recapitalization
• Advised the board of directors of Elanco Animal Health and rendered a fairness opinion in connection with its $7.6 billion acquisition of Bayer AG’s animal health business, creating one of the largest stand-alone veterinary-medicine companies in the world
• Financial advisor to the board of directors of Johnson Controls International plc, a diversified global industrials company, in connection with the sale of its Power Solutions business (n/k/a Clarios, LLC), a global automotive battery business, to Brookfield Business Partners LP
• Sell-side M&A advisor to Merit Capital, a middle-market PE firm, in connection with the sale of Icon Group to MC Group, a portfolio company of Arcapita Private Equity, creating one of the largest signage and display firms in the U.S.
• Appointed as the independent valuation expert by LyondellBasell NV (LBI) as debtor in connection with its motion to seek approval of its $8 billion debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Manhattan (LBI was the largest post-petition DIP loan ever approved in U.S. bankruptcy court)
• Rendered fairness and solvency opinions to numerous alternative asset managers including Hellman & Friedman, Merit Capital, Wind Point Capital, Permira, Oaktree Capital Management, Citadel, Sun Capital, SK Capital, KKR, Och-Ziff, Terra Firma, Terra Firma, Ontario Teachers, The Carlyle Group, Apollo, Silver Lake Capital
• Member of Duff & Phelps’ internal opinions technical review committee that advised Elizabeth Warren, Chair, of the Congressional Oversight Panel analyzing the question surrounding the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as to whether the U.S. Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) policy of injecting cash into financial institutions had resulted in a fair deal for taxpayers
• Advised the ESOP Trustee in connection with the ESOP's purchase of the stock of KLJ Solutions, a civil engineering services firm based in North Dakota
• Advised the special committee of independent directors of Ridgewood Power in connection with the sale of its UK clean power renewable energy assets to an affiliate of Macquarie Group
• Restructuring advisor to Citigroup and JP Morgan as junior debt holders in connection with the financial restructuring of Schoeller Arca, NV based in the Netherlands
• Rendered a fairness opinion to the ESOP Trustee of the Verisk Analytics, Inc. ESOP, in connection with the ESOP's sale of shares in the Verisk IPO (Verisk was the largest U.S. IPO of 2009)
• Rendered a fairness opinion to the board of directors of French stock exchange-listed Lacie in connection with its acquisition of Swiss-based Caledio
• Rendered a solvency opinion to the board of directors of Hill-Rom in connection with the spin-off of Batesville Casket
• Advised the board of directors of Sara Lee Corporation in connection with the leveraged spin-off of Hanesbrand Apparel
• Advised the board of directors of Fortune Brands in connection with its spin-offs and divestitures of its golf and building products units and viability of the spirits remainco business;
• Sell-side M&A advisor to Peer Bearing Company, a family-owned business, and its China and Thailand operations in connection with its sale to Sweden's SKF AB
• Sell-side M&A advisor to Clear Pack Company in connection with its sale to Sonoco Products Company
• Sell-side M&A advisor to Marlin Firearms Company in connection with its sale to Remington Arms Company
• Buy-side M&A advisor to a private investment company in connection with its acquisition of Continental Midland/Jacobson Fasters from Alcoa and sell-side M&A advisor to Continental Midland in connection with its sale to Monomoy Capital, a PE fund
• Rendered a fairness opinion to KKR in connection with the related-fund financial restructurings of ATU GmbH, a German-based car parts and service station chain, and KION GmbH, a German-based material handling company
• Rendered a going-concern BEV opinion to Terra Firma in connection with the recapitalization of Tank & Rast, a German motorway service operator and its sale of a 50% stake to Deutsche Bank
• Rendered a fairness opinion to the board of directors of Compass Diversified Trust in connection with its IPO of its permanent PE capital vehicle listed on the New York Stock Exchange