New York City, New York Feb 4, 2026  – In the high-stakes realm of global M&A, true leadership is defined by vision, impact, and results. For these reasons, The M&A Advisor, which has been recognized for over two decades as a leading voice in honoring excellence, innovation, and leadership in mergers and acquisitions, proudly names Ricardo Lacerda, the CEO and Founding Partner of BR Partners Banco de Investimentos S.A., as the recipient of the 2025 Leadership Award.

Editor’s note: This announcement was originally released June 17, 2025, on .

Mr. Lacerda will be honored during an Awards Gala celebration at the in New York City on September 15 & 16.

“We are honored to present Ricardo Lacerda with our 2025 Leadership Award,” said Roger Aguinaldo, Founder and CEO of The M&A Advisor. “Ricardo embodies the visionary leadership our industry requires – strategic, disciplined, and growth-oriented. His work at BR Partners has set the gold standard for investment banking in Latin America.”

With the presentation of the Leadership Award, Mr. Lacerda joins a prestigious and exclusive group of business leaders, including Dave Miller of Elliott Investment Management, Rodger Krouse and Marc Leder of Sun Capital, John Bolduc of HIG, Paul Aversano of Alvarez & Marsal, Euan Rellie of BDA Partners, Liz Nesvold of Emigrant Bank, Leonard Tannenbaum of TCG, John S. Castle of Branford Castle, and Ryan Binkley of Generational Group, among others.

In addition to being recognized with the Leadership Award in September, Mr. Lacerda will be inducted into The M&A Advisor Hall of Fame during the on November 19 & 20 in New York.

Upon his induction into the Hall of Fame, Lacerda will join other luminaries such as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, “Father of Venture Capital” David Morgenthaler; corporate titans Richard “Dick” Parsons, Robert “Steve” Miller; private equity legends John K. Castle, David Bonderman, Pete Peterson; renowned advisors Lisa Donahue, Bruce Wasserstein, Joele Frank; and legal champions Rodgin Cohen, Jack Butler, James H.M Sprayregen, and Harvey Miller, as well as The Honorable Laurel M. Isicoff; and others.

Ricardo Lacerda is the CEO and Founding Partner of BR Partners Banco de Investimentos S.A., an independent investment bank based in São Paulo since 2009. A prominent global dealmaker, Mr. Lacerda has played a crucial role in shaping the investment banking landscape across Latin America. Before founding BR Partners, he served as Head of Investment Banking for Latin America and Brazil at Citigroup, and as CEO of Goldman Sachs Brazil. Throughout his career with top-tier global institutions, he has led significant cross-border M&A, capital markets, and corporate finance transactions.

Mr. Lacerda holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), as well as an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School at Columbia University in New York.

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The M&A Advisor was founded in 1998 to provide insights and intelligence on mergers and acquisitions. Today, the firm is recognized as the world’s premier leadership organization for M&A, restructuring, and financing professionals, offering a range of integrated services.

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