Three Ocean Partners Launches Investment Banking Advisory Boutique

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Firm Provides Trusted Advice and Proprietary Ideas

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Three Ocean Partners (“Three Ocean”) announced today that it has launched an investment banking advisory boutique dedicated to providing CEOs, boards and financial sponsors with senior-level, independent strategic advice. Headquartered in New York, Three Ocean plans to open offices in London and Los Angeles, and establish strategic global partnerships and affiliations in Brazil and India, in early 2012.

“The investment banking landscape is in the midst of a dramatic change and the premium today, as much as ever, is on long-standing relationships, experience through many business cycles and an unwavering commitment to client service,” said David Knowlton, managing partner of Three Ocean. “Three Ocean’s entrepreneurial spirit and intellectual capital will help our client base achieve strategic success by differentiating them from the competition, especially given today’s global uncertainty.”

The firm’s partners have a proven track record of delivering tailored and creative advice to clients over the course of multi-year engagements. The firm intends to take on one client per industry and does not participate in lending, trading or research activities. Three Ocean also has a merchant banking arm that can co-invest alongside clients.

Three Ocean is privately held by its employees and by some of the most prominent families, CEOs and institutions in the U.S. The firm has an extensive global network of relationships with senior leaders of corporations, financial sponsors, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds.

“The disruption of large financial institutions has only enhanced CEOs’ preference to have a team of senior bankers solely committed to working with them, without conflicts and distractions,” said Sanford Robertson, Three Ocean investor and a pioneer of boutique banking. “The team at Three Ocean has some of the deepest and most trusted relationships in both the corporate and financial sponsor communities.”

Since its inception, Three Ocean has been mandated on several significant assignments and most recently advised MidOcean Partners on the $650mm acquisition of Prepaid Legal.

Prior to founding Three Ocean, Mr. Knowlton successfully launched Watch Hill Partners LLC in 2003, which advised on over $30 billion in assignments, executed several highly successful merchant banking investments and was ultimately sold to FBR Capital Markets in 2009. Mr. Knowlton’s notable advisory experience includes advising the Hershey Trust on the $19 billion potential acquisition of Cadbury and providing Hicks Sports Group with strategic advice regarding their sale of Liverpool Football Club.

Henry R. Kravis, co-founder and co-chief executive of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company, commented: “David has provided thoughtful, strategic counsel to KKR for over 25 years and we are confident Three Ocean Partners will be highly successful.”

About Three Ocean Partners, LLC

Three Ocean Partners, LLC is an investment banking advisory boutique headquartered in New York that provides senior-level, conflict-free strategic advice to CEOs, boards and financial sponsors. The firm specializes in advising on mergers & acquisitions, recapitalizations and restructurings, in addition to raising capital for public and private companies. Three Ocean is privately held by its employees and by some of the most prominent families, CEOs and institutions in the U.S. Three Ocean also has a merchant banking arm that can co-invest alongside clients. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://threeoceanpartners.com/.