Adam Beshara Advances to President Role at BDT & MSD Partners

The investment banking landscape continues to shift as BDT & MSD Partners, the elite advisory firm founded through a merger of Byron Trott’s BDT merchant bank and MSD Partners, has promoted Adam Beshara to President. Beshara, a veteran investment banker with deep roots at Centerview Partners, will join a select group of five presidents leading the firm’s strategic direction beginning this May. This appointment reflects BDT & MSD’s commitment to expanding its advisory reach within the founder-led and family-owned business segment—a cornerstone of its business model.

Career Arc: From JPMorgan to Centerview’s M&A Elite

Adam Beshara brings over two decades of deal-making expertise to his new role. Before joining Centerview Partners in 2012, he spent 14 years at JPMorgan Chase, where he held multiple senior positions in mergers and acquisitions advisory. At Centerview, Beshara has become known for guiding some of the world’s largest industrial and consumer companies through complex transactions. His client roster includes major names like Johnson Controls International, DuPont, Waste Management, and Walmart—companies representing billions in deal value and strategic importance.

Leadership Realignment Reflects Firm’s Growth Trajectory

The promotion of Beshara comes as BDT & MSD navigates leadership transitions. Dina Powell McCormick, another of the firm’s presidents, recently departed to take on the top leadership position at Meta Platforms, marking a natural evolution for a seasoned executive. However, Powell McCormick maintains a strategic presence on the firm’s advisory board, chaired by Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies and a key stakeholder in MSD Partners’ structure.

The firm has simultaneously announced Erik Oken, a banking veteran with over 30 years of experience at JPMorgan and most recently heading private equity operations at MidOcean Partners, as head of its eastern U.S. regional operations. These moves signal BDT & MSD’s strategy of combining institutional banking expertise with founder-centric advisory services.

What This Means for the Investment Banking Sector

Under co-leaders Byron Trott and Gregg Lemkau—both former Goldman Sachs luminaries—BDT & MSD Partners has built a distinctive niche. The firm’s philosophy, as Lemkau articulates, centers on advising clients “as if we were owners ourselves.” Beshara’s appointment underscores this ethos: a seasoned advisor with 14 years of JPMorgan credibility and 14 years of Centerview’s selective client relationships now brings his institutional legitimacy to a firm competing for the world’s most discerning entrepreneurs and family offices.

With Adam Beshara now among its five presidents alongside Dan Jester, San Orr, Greg Olafson, and Amy Ennesser, BDT & MSD Partners continues positioning itself as the preferred banking partner for founder-led growth and family wealth management in an increasingly competitive advisory marketplace.