Jai Singh - Business Profile
Jai Singh is Founder and Sole Director of JPS Global Advisers, providing independent and unconflicted holistic advice to Corporates, Private Equity and Government-owned entities on M&A, strategic issues, international expansion, complex board issues, capital markets, equity and debt funding, refinancing, strategic communications, geopolitical strategy, policy and investor relations and communications. JPS Global Advisers encompasses Mr. Singh's global client relationships and execution experience in UK, EMEA, India, USA and Asia. Since January 2022, Mr. Singh is also, by invitation, a member of the Advisory Board of US Investment Bank, Salomon Brothers ( recreated as Salomon Encore).
Since 2006, Mr. Singh has also been a Principal and Managing Director, and then, Retained Senior Adviser of Compass Partners Advisers Limited/Compass Partners LLP through June 2020. Prior to that he was at Citigroup/Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, having started at Salomon Brothers in New York in 1993. At Compass Advisers Limited, progressing from Principal to Managing Director, he led the client coverage and transaction execution for selected clients in UK, Europe, India and US in the energy, diversified industrial, consumer, retail, media and private capital sectors. He joined in 2006, after a 12 year career at Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney in London and New York to develop clients and execute strategic M&A and capital raising business in the Consumer, Retail, Energy, Utilities, Industrial, Transatlantic Advisory and financial sponsor sectors.
At Compass, He also developed the Cross-Border Asia franchise from scratch with limited budget and one Analyst. Additionally, he built a retained UK, US, India and European client group in the London office across the above sectors.
Additionally, between Nov' 2018 and June 2021, Mr. Singh has successfully restructured the UK operations, and upgraded the client list and best practices of a London based emerging market focused advisory boutique, and implemented a client-focused cross-border strategy and 7-pronged business development program from scratch linked to Africa, Japan, India, Middle East for prospective UK and EU clients. Despite a constrained budget and limited resource, these actions resulted in the origination of marquee mandates from major companies and upgrading of the cross-border advisory platform into key emerging markets.
Additionally, between 2004 and 2006 he simultaneously has held position of Director within global communications and investor relations firm, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, and Advisor at NF Corporate Finance. At Citigate, as a Director, he focused on Financial and Strategic Communications.
Mr. Singh has worked on transactions worth over $57 billion in value encompassing M&A, Equity, Debt and Corporate Lending for a wide range of global corporates, family-owned companies, growth-companies, conglomerates and private equity firms, with a focus on clients in Europe, UK, India and USA.
Mr. Singh has over 25 years of international investment banking, capital markets and corporate advisory experience as a banker at Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers and has played client facing roles in Energy Coverage Groups (London) , Consumer and Retail Coverage Group (New York) and the European M&A and Corporate Finance Group (especially with European Industrial, Energy, Media, Private Capital and Retail clients), providing independent strategic advice and executing transactions across the product spectrum.
Mr. Singh started his professional career in 1991 a a Management Associate and Assistant Manager in Citicorp N.A. in the Global Finance and Transaction Services group in New York prior to being recruited by Salomon Brothers (New York) in early 1993 in the investment banking division within the Consumer and Retail Coverage Group as a Financial Analyst. Mr. Singh was transferred to Salomon Brothers International in London in 1995, Promoted to Associate in 1996 which then merged into Citigroup in 1998. He was promoted to Vice President in 2000. He focused on client coverage in the UK Group, European Utility and Energy Groups, before moving to the EMEA M&A and Corporate Finance Group in 1997, where he originated and executed transactions across the Consumer, Media, Industrial, Energy and Real Estate sectors.
Mr. Singh’s selected M&A transaction experience includes providing cross-border acquisition advice to a variety of large companies like IAG, Repsol, Tata International, Providence Resources plc, Halcon Inc. and Fabindia. He also advised International Airlines Group on specific acquisition alternatives in Asia and equity alternatives. Mr. Singh has also provided specific tactical retained advice to Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra to complete the acquisition of Italian gear-maker Metalcastello Spa and advised the lead shareholder on strategic options with regard to restructuring of Usha Martin. Other historical significant cross-border transactions while at Citigroup include Gannett (USA Today)/Newscom; Delhaize Group/Delhaize America; Perfetti/VanMelle NV; Huhtamaki/VanLeer NV; Westfield’s acquisition of Rodamco NV; Callahan Associates’ LBO of KabelBW (cable assets in Baden Württemberg); Efes Beverage Group merger and listing in Turkey; ABB on its holistic corporate finance and M&A strategy, including , refinancing and restructuring strategy, bond placements and asset divestitures ; Liz Claiborne/Mexx Group BV; Kmart on its equity carve-out strategy and execution of the resulting IPO's ; Imatran Voima Oy/Neste Oy energy merger to form Fortum. In addition, Mr. Singh has advised a number of private equity firms including KKR, Blackstone Europe, Centerbridge USA, Carlyle, TPG Asia and Gilde Netherlands on a number of buy-side and leveraged buyout transactions and proposals.
From a Capital Markets standpoint, Mr. Singh has also worked on equity offerings in the U.S. and Europe for Efes Breweries International, Sports Authority, Borders, Herbalife and Carter Hawley Hale, and has executed convertible bond, high yield, private placement and debt offerings for several clients including ABB, CompUSA, Kabel BW, Kabel NRW, Delhaize Group and Sibneft.
While at Salomon Smith Barney, Mr. Singh was also responsible for managing, operating and providing leadership to up to 30 junior bankers, and integrating three organizations in 1998-99 in London during the Citigroup/Travelers merger to form Salomon Smith Barney and then during the merger of Citigroup/SSB with Schroders.
Mr. Singh holds dual degrees from The Wharton School of Business and College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania where has was also a Founding President of the International Club and also a member of the Mortar Board Honor Society and Student Leadership Council Representative on the Library and Financial Aid University Committees.
Mr. Singh is connected as a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in London and affiliated with the British American Business and the Asia Society in London, Wharton Club of UK, Penn Club of New York, and was part of the UKTI Sponsored delegation with the Secretary of State to India in 2009 and also the Mayor of London’s senior delegation to India in 2012 and was invited to contribute an article focused on creating long term structural growth and employment in the 2017 Parliamentary Review.
Mr. Singh is a member of the Lords Taverners Charity for helping disabled and disadvantaged children through cricket (and sport) and remains an occasional playing member of Kensington cricket club and Finchley cricket club (league). In 2022, Mr. Singh formally represented Middlesex in the County Cricket Championships achieving the highest batting average (75) and aggregate runs scored (527), for Middlesex Senior Cricket in his Debut season. He was also selected to play two One Day Internationals versus Wales in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He has further interests in international affairs, socio-economic policy, long-term economic development strategies, Theatre and Art. Mr. Singh is fluent in English, Hindi and advanced beginners Italian.