Bio

Mr. Novak is Global Co-Head of Corporate Finance at Houlihan Lokey, where he leads a team of more than 1,000 professionals located throughout the world. Prior to assuming this role, he started and led the firm’s global Consumer Group, growing the team to more than 135 global professionals and becoming the industry’s leading consumer practice. Mr. Novak serves on the firm’s Management Committee. Since joining Houlihan Lokey in 1996, he has led more than 300 corporate finance engagements involving M&A, debt financings, and corporate restructurings. Mr. Novak has handled assignments for food, consumer products, retail, entertainment, and manufacturing companies. Mr. Novak’s transaction experience involves leading some of the industry’s most well-known transactions across all sectors within consumer, with a particular focus on food and beverage. Within food and beverage, he has led transactions in emerging better-for-you brands, protein, snacks, plant-based products, and nutritional products. Mr. Novak is also a frequent speaker and participant at industry events. Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Novak spent five years in international investment banking, serving highly leveraged middle-market and Fortune 500 multinational corporate clients, primarily in consumer-branded goods. He also spent two years in the investment banking department at Kidder, Peabody & Co., where he specialized in M&A and debt and equity underwriting. Mr. Novak holds a B.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.