Primary Job Title Partner Primary Organization AGI Partners
Gender Male Also Known As Bob Kennedy
Robert A. Kennedy, III is a Partner at Ascend Global Investments, LLC, a private investment partnership that makes direct investments in special opportunities and private equity. He is responsible for investment sourcing, due diligence, transaction structuring and financing monitoring and exiting of investments focused on special opportunities. In
partnership with Mr. Gordon, Mr. Kennedy is spearheading the company’s acquisition program, and overseeing financial performance for Ascend’s most recent portfolio company, Pristine Environments, an investment that seeks to consolidate the fragmented specialized facility services industry.
Prior to joining Ascend Global Investments, LLC, Mr. Kennedy was an investment professional at FdG Associates LLC, a New York-based private equity firm specializing in recapitalizations of family and entrepreneur-owned businesses. While at FdG Associates, Mr. Kennedy was responsible for conducting initial investment reviews and evaluations, performing extensive financial modeling and valuation analyses, and completing in-depth business and industry due diligence. Mr. Kennedy also managed the lender process, evaluating and negotiating financing proposals, and was responsible for the drafting and negotiation of transaction agreements. In addition this work on new platform acquisitions, Mr. Kennedy had considerable responsibility for all aspects of two portfolio companies: A&R Logistics, the largest transporter of bulk plastic resin in the United States, and Sunrise Windows, a manufacturer of high performance, energy efficient vinyl windows and doors. Significant portfolio company responsibilities included in-depth financial modeling, add-on acquisitions, debt restructuring or refinancing, exit planning, participation in strategy planning sessions and continuous improvement and lean initiatives, and ongoing financial and business monitoring through daily conversations with management and Board of Director meetings.
Before joining FdG Associates, Mr. Kennedy was a member of the Global Consumer Products & Retail Group within the Investment Banking Division of UBS AG. He pitched various financial products and strategic alternatives to a broad spectrum of retail clients across the globe. Selected clients include Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Saks Fifth Avenue, Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Starbucks, and Whole Foods. Mr. Kennedy performed financial and operational modeling to evaluate the accretion/dilution, cash flow and leverage effects of mergers, acquisitions and leveraged buyouts. Mr. Kennedy completed advisory work for some of the world’s leading retail companies, conducting strategic analyses by determining key competitive advantages, positioning relative to competitors, and opportunities for growth.
Mr. Kennedy is a member of the executive committee of Operation Smile, an organization that sends volunteers worldwide to provide reconstructive surgery to children born with facial deformities.
Mr. Kennedy holds a B.A. in Economics and in History from Yale University
