ALEX JOHNSTON
Director, Clearsight Advisors
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I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO PROVIDE CRITICAL SERVICES AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP TO OUR INDUSTRY.
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pecialized expertise is key to establishing credibility in the M&A sphere, particularly for a boutique investment bank like Clearsight Advisors, which focuses exclusively on professional and tech-enabled services businesses. Alex Johnston, a director at Clearsight, recognized the importance that domain knowledge plays in a firm’s brand when he assumed leadership of the firm’s Big Data practice last year. He quickly made the coverage area his own by incorporating the Cloud Transformation services space to create a new practice area: Cloud, Data & Analytics. Alex worked to get the word out via a quarterly newsletter featuring industry research sent to 10,000 industry professionals, and by regularly writing blog posts. Last year, he worked on five new M&A engagements with clients in his practice area, and he regularly speaks with investors looking to understand the space. “When private equity firms call Clearsight to discuss cloud services, they know to call Alex,” says Gretchen Frary Seay, co-founder and managing director at Clearsight. As he embarked on these initiatives, Alex was also working closely with clients to navigate challenges caused by COVID19. One client, a business advisory services provider based in Arizona, began accepting bids in early March, immediately before the lockdowns began. Despite the broader economic uncertainty, Alex and his team led the client through 14 virtual management presentations and two subsequent rounds of bidding over the summer. Alex also arranged introductions with a potential financing source, amid doubts from the final bidder about financing. Ultimately, the business was acquired by a private equity firm based in Palo Alto, California, at an increased final valuation. A member of ACG National Capital, Alex regularly represents Clearsight at ACG events. In addition to his external-facing work, he has been building his stature within the firm, too. Last year, Alex became the youngest member and sole director on Clearsight’s Client Review Committee, which oversees new engagement committments and fee proposals. “I am proud of my contributions to Clearsight and the middle-market M&A industry,” Alex says. “I look forward to continuing to provide critical services and thought leadership to our industry.” //
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