Zaoui & Co. was founded in London in 2013 by the brothers Michael and Yoël Zaoui, who'd been senior M&A bankers at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. It's a very small firm that advises on large, often cross-border European deals.
Can you get in as a student?
Probably not straight from university, and I'd be honest with yourself about that. Firms this size don't run analyst classes. The people they hire usually have years of M&A experience.
If this is the kind of firm you want to end up at, plan the route:
- Start at a bank where you'll do a lot of European M&A: Rothschild, Lazard, a bulge bracket.
- Get good at it.
- Build relationships. At small firms, people often join through someone they've worked with.
What to take from this
Languages and cross-border experience matter at a firm like this, because the deals often span France, Italy, the UK and beyond. If you speak a European language well, it's worth developing alongside your banking skills.