Six years ago, Eliot & Luther did not exist.
In early 2020, I had just completed a mandate as CEO of a private equity-backed financial services group. I took a short break — a ski trip in February — before turning to the next stage of my career. By the time I returned, COVID-19 had reshaped the world.
For the first time in my professional life, I found myself unexpectedly idle and reached out to a handful of former clients. One invited me to his office, opened a bottle of Macallan, and explained that the banks might not be in a position to refinance an upcoming US dollar bond maturity. A few glasses in, I ventured that if he could fund a small retainer to hire two key team members, we would handle the situation.
A handshake at the bottom of that bottle was followed by frantic calls, a hastily constructed website, and the formation of Eliot & Luther.
From the outset, we described ourselves as “Strategic Advisory.” This was deliberate. We did not want to define ourselves narrowly as corporate finance or legal. Our work integrated both — and over time expanded to include tax, environmental, technical and intelligence expertise — into a practical, solutions-driven approach that is not constrained by traditional professional boundaries.
We implemented that first mandate through a Singapore Scheme of Arrangement. Formally, we acted as Strategic Adviser, Information Agent and Scheme Manager. In practice, we managed the process end-to-end, working alongside exceptional counsel. The bond was successfully restructured with over 90% bondholder support, without the client missing a single payment.
In our first year, we advised on more than one billion dollars of M&A, restructuring and fundraising transactions — delivered by a team of five professionals across two countries who, due to lockdown restrictions, had never met in the same room.
