Livingstone Partners strengthens Media & Technology team and opens new office in Frankfurt am Main

Livingstone Partners has strengthened its Media & Technology team and is expanding with the opening of its third office in the Germany.

Luca Pignato, Partner, Maximilian Bergold, Associate Partner, formerly at Fortlane Partner, and Sebastian Engelbrecht, Director, formerly at PwC, are working in the new office in Frankfurt am Main. Luca Pignato will continue to lead the Food & Beverages practice in the DACH region. At the same time, Maximilian Bergold and Sebastian Engelbrecht will strengthen Livingstone’s industry expertise in Media & Technology, Tech-enabled Services, and Digital Infrastructure. The new additions to the Frankfurt office complement the long-standing Media & Technology team in Düsseldorf, which includes Michael Westhoven, Partner, and Frederik Schreurs, Associate Partner. Following Livingstone’s recent expansion in Italy, South Korea, and the Benelux, the consultancy is now also growing in the DACH region.

“We are particularly pleased that we have been able to strengthen our Media & Technology team with Maximilian Bergold and Sebastian Engelbrecht as planned. Under the leadership of Michael Westhoven as Head of Media & Technology in the DACH region for Livingstone, we have made targeted investments to expand our capacity and expertise in this fast-growing sector,” said Ralph Hagelgans, Partner and Managing Partner of Livingstone Partners. “The recent appointment of Frederik Schreurs as Associate Partner completes the strong sector team. The added expertise will further drive Livingstone’s growth in the DACH region, not only through our third office in Germany, in Frankfurt am Main, but in particular through numerous new contacts with strategic players and financial investors.”

Maximilian Bergold began his career in the investment banking/M&A department of the German private bank Berenberg. He gained further M&A experience at companies such as EY and Santander Corporate & Investment Banking before joining the team at goetzpartners (now Fortlane Partners). Throughout his career, Bergold has gained extensive experience in advising strategic buyers and private equity firms on both sell-side and buy-side transactions. During these projects, he developed a particular focus on companies in the Media & Technology sectors, including in the IT Services and Cyber Security sub-sectors.

Sebastian Engelbrecht started his career at the corporate finance advisory firm ACXIT Capital Partners (now Stifel) in Frankfurt and gained further M&A experience as part of Stifel’s Global Technology Group and at the US investment bank Robert W. Baird before joining PwC’s M&A/Corporate Finance team. Throughout his career, Engelbrecht has advised founders, venture capital, private equity firms, and strategic buyers on both sell-side and buy-side transactions. During these projects, he developed a particular focus on companies in the Media & Technology sectors, including in the FinTech, Digital Infrastructure & Business Services sub-sectors.

With over 130 professionals in Amsterdam, Beijing, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Seoul, Stockholm, Valencia, and Verona, Livingstone Partners has a broad international presence. It provides M&A and financing advice to global SMEs, corporations, and financial investors.