BMO Capital Markets has hired three senior investment bankers to its food & consumer division in Chicago, BMO said Tuesday.

All three are joining from Banc of America Securities.

Greg Pearlman has joined as managing director and head of the food & consumer group and will be responsible for directing BMO’s activities in this area. Michael Taylor has joined the team as managing director and Alex Jacobs as director.

“BMO Capital Markets group has over 75 years of experience successfully developing client relationships in the food & consumer sector. In the coming months, continued globalization is expected to drive M&A activity as companies seek access to new consumers and products as well as grow in large economies, including India and China,” says Dave Casper, executive managing director & co-head, U.S. investment and corporate banking.

“To help capitalize on these opportunities and position us for future growth, we are thrilled to have experienced and knowledgeable investment bankers such as Greg, Michael and Alex, join our strong team,” adds Dominic Petito, executive managing director and co-head, U.S. investment & corporate banking.

Pearlman has 23 years of deal experience in M&A, equity and fixed income underwritings. Prior to Banc of America Securities, he was managing director at Morgan Stanley. He holds an M.M. in Finance and Management Policy from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Taylor has 14 years of investment banking experience and has originated and worked on numerous M&A and capital raising transactions, with particular focus on the household, personal care and consumer durable sub-sectors. He holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Colorado.

Jacobs worked in the food & beverage investment banking sector for Banc of America Securities for the last eight years where he focused on M&A, leveraged finance and investment grade capital raising. He has also worked in the M&A group at PepsiCo. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. from Swarthmore College.

IE