Solomon Partners Appoints David A. Shiffman to Lead Investment Banking as Firm Expands Advisory Services

The appointment of David A. Shiffman as Head of Investment Banking—a newly created role—marks a pivotal moment for Solomon Partners, one aimed at institutionalizing growth without compromising the entrepreneurial agility that defines many advisory boutiques. By placing someone with Shiffman’s depth of experience (over three decades advising retail, consumer, and related services) at the centre of both M&A and capital advisory operations, Solomon signals that it expects deal volumes and client mandates to rise significantly.

A key facet is the firm’s focus on leadership expansion. Elevating Jeffrey A. Derman to Co-Head of Consumer Retail alongside adding five Managing Directors highlights an internal pipeline strategy that both maximizes retention and reduces dependence on external hires. This suggests Solomon is building durable capacity to service a broader slate of client transactions across multiple sectors.

Strategically, the creation of the Head of Investment Banking role—overseeing both strategic advisory (including complex mandates like activism and raid defense) and execution—allows Solomon to offer a more coordinated client service model, bridging traditional boundaries between advisory, capital markets, and restructuring. This is crucial as boutiques increasingly compete with large banks by offering more holistic solutions, often in the middle market or upper middle market segments.

However, several open questions remain. First is whether Solomon has the scale and infrastructure—both capital and talent—to execute larger multi-jurisdictional or cross-sector mandates at the same level as larger banks. Second, as the firm takes on more ambitious mandates, regulatory, compliance, and risk oversight will matter more; how those capabilities are expanding is not yet clear. Third, in current capital markets conditions—interest rate pressure, inflation, and geopolitical risk—how aggressive Solomon can be in both hiring partners and making large investments remains to be seen. Fourth, how the firm will balance the tension between preserving its boutique culture and scaling operations—partner recruitment, technology, risk management—will be central to its success.

In summary, Shiffman’s promotion and Solomon’s leadership reshuffle represent a clear strategic shift: from specialization toward broader full-stack advisory delivery. If executed well, it can enable the firm to capture more mandates, deepen sector expertise, and compete more directly with large investment banks. But the scaling path is fraught with trade-offs around culture, risk, and resource allocation. Effective execution over the next 12-24 months will be telling.