Since 2016, George has been at the helm of Qatalyst Partners as Chief Executive Officer, bringing to the role an unparalleled depth of experience cultivated over nearly four decades in investment banking. His journey with Qatalyst began in 2010, marking the start of a transformative leadership period for the firm, renowned for its focus on the technology sector.
Before his tenure at qatalyst partners, George held prominent positions at Credit Suisse, culminating in his role as Chairman of both the Global Technology Group and the Global Healthcare Group. He also served as Vice Chairman of Credit Suisse’s Corporate and Investment Banking department, showcasing his broad expertise across various sectors. His career at Credit Suisse, which commenced in 1998, saw him rise through the ranks, holding significant roles such as Co-Head of Global Technology Banking and Co-Head of Global Mergers and Acquisitions. Earlier in his career, George was Head of the Technology Group’s Global Mergers & Acquisitions activities at Deutsche Bank Securities, and prior to that, he spearheaded M&A activities in the western United States for Morgan Stanley.
George’s career spans over 38 years of dedicated investment banking service, during which he has become a trusted advisor on more than 700 completed transactions. His expertise encompasses a comprehensive range of financial maneuvers, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, hostile takeovers, takeover defenses, leveraged buyouts, financings, stock buybacks, spinoffs, and leveraged recapitalizations. His advisory portfolio boasts some of the most significant deals in the technology and software industries. For example, he advised Adenza on its substantial $10.5 billion sale to Nasdaq, and Afterpay on its landmark $29.0 billion acquisition by Block. Further highlighting his influence in the software sector, George played a key role in Anaplan’s $10.4 billion sale to Thoma Bravo and Coupa’s $8.0 billion sale to the same firm. His current engagements include advising Ansys on its pending $34.8 billion sale to Synopsys, underscoring his continued involvement in mega-deals.
His deal sheet includes advising Aruba on its $3.0 billion acquisition by HP, and Auth0 on its $6.5 billion sale to Okta, demonstrating his expertise in guiding companies through strategic acquisitions. George also advised Citrix on its $16.5 billion sale to Vista Equity and Evergreen, and Cornerstone OnDemand on its $5.2 billion sale to Clearlake, reflecting his broad reach across different technology verticals. In the realm of data and analytics, he advised Datto on its $6.2 billion sale to Insight Partners and Cvent on its $4.6 billion acquisition by Blackstone. His international deals include advising Dialog Semiconductor on its $5.9 billion sale to Renesas, and Vonage on its $6.2 billion sale to Ericsson, showcasing his global deal-making capabilities. George also advised Figma on its proposed $22.3 billion sale to Adobe, a deal that, while terminated, reflects the scale of transactions he handles. His early career also includes advising Google on its strategic acquisitions of YouTube for $1.7 billion and DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, illustrating his long-standing relationship with tech giants.
Further notable transactions under his advisory include HomeAway’s $3.9 billion sale to Expedia, Informatica’s $5.3 billion sale to Permira, and Inphi’s $11.1 billion sale to Marvell. In the financial technology space, he advised Intuit on its $7.1 billion acquisition of Credit Karma and Mailchimp for $12.0 billion. His semiconductor expertise is evident in deals like Linear Technology’s $14.8 billion sale to Analog Devices and Microsemi’s $10.2 billion sale to Microchip. George also played a pivotal role in LinkedIn’s $28.1 billion sale to Microsoft and LogMeIn’s $4.4 billion sale to Francisco Partners, highlighting his involvement in major internet and software deals. His advisory also extended to LSI in its $6.6 billion sale to Avago, Motorola Mobility’s $12.5 billion sale to Google, and NetSuite’s $9.4 billion sale to Oracle. More recently, he advised New Relic on its $6.5 billion sale to Francisco Partners and TPG, and Splunk on its pending $29.6 billion sale to Cisco. His historical deals include Sun Microsystems’ $7.1 billion sale to Oracle and VERITAS’s $20 billion acquisition of Seagate Technology. Lastly, he advised Zendesk on its $10.2 billion sale to H&F and Permira.
Beyond these prominent deals, George has also advised a vast array of companies across the technology landscape, including Adobe, Apple, Cisco, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and many others, reinforcing his broad industry network and deep market understanding.
George’s academic foundation is as impressive as his professional achievements. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.B.A. from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, providing him with a robust analytical and business acumen that underpins his success in the complex world of technology investment banking at Qatalyst Partners.
