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Orinola Gbadebo-Smith

Verified Expert in Management Consulting

Management Consulting Expert

New York, NY, United States

Toptal member since May 17, 2018

Expertise

Valuations M&A Private Equity Fundraising FP&A Venture Capital Financial Modeling Credit Analysis Due Diligence Budgeting Consulting

Bio

A private equity investor turned entrepreneur, Ori comes with M&A, PE, VC and operating experience across the US, Europe, and Africa. Following his MBA from Harvard Business School, he most recently founded The Antilles Company—an eCommerce startup whose operations span five countries and three continents. Having transitioned out of day-to-day operations, Orinola advises growth companies on strategy, fundraising, GTM methods, and operations.

Career Highlights

Co-founder + CEO

The Antilles Company

Chief Restructuring Officer

Radiation Therapy Services, Inc.

Private Equity Investor

Vestar Capital Partners, LP

Education Highlights

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Harvard Business School

Bachelor of Arts (Honors)

Dartmouth College

Industry Expertise

Investment Banking
Venture Capital & Private Equity
Healthcare Services
Retail
Apparel & Accessories Retail
Financial Modeling
Startups
Consumer Products

Other Expertise

Operations
Private Equity
Route to Market
Startups
Strategy
Valuation Modeling

Work Experience

Co-founder + CEO

2013 - PRESENT

The Antilles Company

Led the company from inception to market, including capital raising, team construction, operations, strategy, finance, global expansion, and the establishment of its supply chain.
Constructed investor materials (presentations and three-statement financial model) and go-to-market strategy as well as led negotiations for a successful Series A round.
Built an international distribution network that included strategic showrooms, eCommerce, and over 600 independent sellers spanning four countries.
Built a global supply chain and sourcing organization across Southeast Asia (China, Korea), Europe (Greece, Turkey), and EMEA.
Won Harvard Business School's Global Best New Venture Award.

Focus areas: Pricing Strategy, Unit-level Economics, Distribution, Three-statement Modeling, Expansion, Global, Supply Chain, Operations Analytics, Go-to-market Plans, Startups, Fundraising

Chief Economist & Special Infrastructure Advisor

2010 - 2011

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Project

Evaluated, analyzed, and made strategic recommendations on all special situation investments on behalf of the CEO. Special situation projects were defined as those valued in excess of $4 billion, as well as all horizontal/strategic expansion opportunities.
Conducted market research, financial modeling, financing options analysis, offtake options analysis, and more as part of the execution, financing, and construction of a new $8 billion liquefaction and floating regasification plant in Nigeria.
Conducted similar market research, modeling, financing options analysis, capital markets assessment, and assembled a recommendation memorandum for the expansion the company’s LNG vessel/fleet, valued at $420 million.
Served as Interim Chief Economist for the organization.
Authored a 130-page research report and made a strategic recommendation on the investment prospects for the creation of a domestic liquefied petroleum gas industry, to be executed in partnership with the Federal Government.

Focus areas: Negotiation, Investment Decision-making, C-suite, Investments, Infrastructure, Fundraising, Market Opportunity Analysis, Valuation Analysis, Capital Structuring

Chief Restructuring Officer

2010 - 2010

Radiation Therapy Services, Inc.

Designed and executed the $40 million cost restructuring strategy for RTS, as approved by the board. Achieved $38 million in cost-savings, with direct pass-through to EBITDA.
Restructured and renegotiated 176 physician contracts; and led negotiations, financial modeling, and sell-side due diligence for the successful divestiture of 60 underperforming freestanding therapy centers.
Negotiated and executed $35 million sale-leaseback transaction of RTS’ the Nevada freestanding centers' real-estate assets.
Redesigned 2010 strategic roadmap for the company, and screened new management team (CFO and Chief Strategy Officer) that would lead its execution.

Focus areas: Divestitures, Leases, Revenue Optimization, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Budgeting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Restructuring

Private Equity Investor

2008 - 2010

Vestar Capital Partners, LP

Evaluated and executed new and follow-on investment opportunities in consumer and healthcare industries as part of Vestar’s $3.7 billion fund.
Drove all aspects of the investment process, including deal origination, development of investment thesis, financial modeling, capital markets/financing assessment, presentation to investment committee and deal execution.
Managed cross-functional teams of external advisors through financial, operations, market and strategic due diligence as part of leveraged buyout process.
Facilitated sale & purchase agreement process; oversaw debt structuring discussions with lenders; and oversaw key transaction documentation, including sale & purchase agreements, merger agreements, management incentive plans, shareholders’ agreement and others.
Executed, alongside Vestar Resources Group (in-house operations and consulting arm), the restructuring of two portfolio companies, optimizing both revenues and costs.
Select Transaction Experience: Closed $1.5 billion LBO and merger of Unilever’s North American laundry assets with Sun Products, Inc.; and $1.1 billion merger between RTS Inc. and Vantage Oncology.
Select Portfolio Experience: Led the roll-up acquisition strategy for a healthcare portfolio company, which included the sourcing, negotiation, diligence and acquisition of 17 separate, smaller entities.
Served on the boards of three Vestar portfolio companies.

Focus areas: Financial Restructuring, Market Opportunity Analysis, Operational Finance, Valuation Analysis, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Due Diligence, Leveraged Buyout Modeling

M&A Analyst

2006 - 2008

Lehman Brothers, Inc.

Prepared investment memorandums and credit memos for large-cap leveraged buyout transaction.
Performed credit, valuation and merger analyses—merger models, LBO models, accretion/dilution models, sum-of-the-parts analysis, and others—as part of assessing and financing a range of buyout transactions.
Conducted business, industry, market and financial due diligence on acquisition targets on behalf of the bank, private equity and corporate clients.
Created a pitch book for corporate finance and M&A deals.
Managed client responsibilities with some of the world's largest private equity funds.
Drafted credit committee materials and recommendations ahead of IPOs, M&A and LBO transactions.
Executed numerous transactions including, $1.7 billion LBO of GNC Inc. and $1.5 billion sale of USIS, Inc.

Focus areas: Market Research, Credit Analysis, Valuation Analysis, Financial Modeling, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

Other Experience

Publication

Effective Startup Boards: What They Are and How to Build Them

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/venture-capital-consultants/building-effective-startup-boards

Publication

Mission Statements: How Effectively Used Intangible Assets Create Corporate Value

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/business-plan-writers/how-mission-statements-drive-corporate-value

Publication

Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio: Quiet Pioneer of Big Data, Machine Learning, and Fintech

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/business-plan-writers/ray-dalio-principles

Publication

Why More Entrepreneurs are Choosing To Build Search Funds over Startups

https://www.toptal.com/management-consultants/startup-funding-consultants/search-fund

Education

2011 - 2013

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in General Management

Harvard Business School - Cambridge, Massachusetts

2002 - 2006

Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Economics

Dartmouth College - Hanover, New Hampshire

Skills

Finance

Private Equity Valuation, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Revenue & Expense Projections, Route to Market, Three-statement Modeling, Private Equity, Fundraising, Valuation Modeling, Valuation, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Financial Modeling, Valuation Analysis, Credit Analysis, Market Research, Due Diligence, Operational Finance, Market Opportunity Analysis, Financial Restructuring, Budgeting, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Revenue Optimization, Capital Structuring, Investment Decision-making, Unit-level Economics, Pricing Strategy

Industry Expertise

Apparel & Accessories, Consumer Products, Retail & Wholesale, Technology, Venture Capital, Healthcare, Leases

Geographic Expertise

United States, Africa, United Kingdom

Output Software

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint

Data & Analysis Software

Capital IQ

Other

Enterprise Startups, Startups, Strategy, Operating Models, Business Planning, Business Services, Operations, Business Strategy, Revenue Strategy, Divestitures, Infrastructure, Investments, C-suite, Negotiation, Go-to-market Plans, Operations Analytics, Supply Chain, Global, Expansion, Distribution, Restructuring

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Work Experience

Co-founder + CEO

2013 - PRESENT

The Antilles Company

Led the company from inception to market, including capital raising, team construction, operations, strategy, finance, global expansion, and the establishment of its supply chain.
Constructed investor materials (presentations and three-statement financial model) and go-to-market strategy as well as led negotiations for a successful Series A round.
Built an international distribution network that included strategic showrooms, eCommerce, and over 600 independent sellers spanning four countries.
Built a global supply chain and sourcing organization across Southeast Asia (China, Korea), Europe (Greece, Turkey), and EMEA.
Won Harvard Business School's Global Best New Venture Award.

Focus areas: Pricing Strategy, Unit-level Economics, Distribution, Three-statement Modeling, Expansion, Global, Supply Chain, Operations Analytics, Go-to-market Plans, Startups, Fundraising

Chief Economist & Special Infrastructure Advisor

2010 - 2011

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Project

Evaluated, analyzed, and made strategic recommendations on all special situation investments on behalf of the CEO. Special situation projects were defined as those valued in excess of $4 billion, as well as all horizontal/strategic expansion opportunities.
Conducted market research, financial modeling, financing options analysis, offtake options analysis, and more as part of the execution, financing, and construction of a new $8 billion liquefaction and floating regasification plant in Nigeria.
Conducted similar market research, modeling, financing options analysis, capital markets assessment, and assembled a recommendation memorandum for the expansion the company’s LNG vessel/fleet, valued at $420 million.
Served as Interim Chief Economist for the organization.
Authored a 130-page research report and made a strategic recommendation on the investment prospects for the creation of a domestic liquefied petroleum gas industry, to be executed in partnership with the Federal Government.

Focus areas: Negotiation, Investment Decision-making, C-suite, Investments, Infrastructure, Fundraising, Market Opportunity Analysis, Valuation Analysis, Capital Structuring

Chief Restructuring Officer

2010 - 2010

Radiation Therapy Services, Inc.

Designed and executed the $40 million cost restructuring strategy for RTS, as approved by the board. Achieved $38 million in cost-savings, with direct pass-through to EBITDA.
Restructured and renegotiated 176 physician contracts; and led negotiations, financial modeling, and sell-side due diligence for the successful divestiture of 60 underperforming freestanding therapy centers.
Negotiated and executed $35 million sale-leaseback transaction of RTS’ the Nevada freestanding centers' real-estate assets.
Redesigned 2010 strategic roadmap for the company, and screened new management team (CFO and Chief Strategy Officer) that would lead its execution.

Focus areas: Divestitures, Leases, Revenue Optimization, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Budgeting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Restructuring

Private Equity Investor

2008 - 2010

Vestar Capital Partners, LP

Evaluated and executed new and follow-on investment opportunities in consumer and healthcare industries as part of Vestar’s $3.7 billion fund.
Drove all aspects of the investment process, including deal origination, development of investment thesis, financial modeling, capital markets/financing assessment, presentation to investment committee and deal execution.
Managed cross-functional teams of external advisors through financial, operations, market and strategic due diligence as part of leveraged buyout process.
Facilitated sale & purchase agreement process; oversaw debt structuring discussions with lenders; and oversaw key transaction documentation, including sale & purchase agreements, merger agreements, management incentive plans, shareholders’ agreement and others.
Executed, alongside Vestar Resources Group (in-house operations and consulting arm), the restructuring of two portfolio companies, optimizing both revenues and costs.
Select Transaction Experience: Closed $1.5 billion LBO and merger of Unilever’s North American laundry assets with Sun Products, Inc.; and $1.1 billion merger between RTS Inc. and Vantage Oncology.
Select Portfolio Experience: Led the roll-up acquisition strategy for a healthcare portfolio company, which included the sourcing, negotiation, diligence and acquisition of 17 separate, smaller entities.
Served on the boards of three Vestar portfolio companies.

Focus areas: Financial Restructuring, Market Opportunity Analysis, Operational Finance, Valuation Analysis, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Due Diligence, Leveraged Buyout Modeling

M&A Analyst

2006 - 2008

Lehman Brothers, Inc.

Prepared investment memorandums and credit memos for large-cap leveraged buyout transaction.
Performed credit, valuation and merger analyses—merger models, LBO models, accretion/dilution models, sum-of-the-parts analysis, and others—as part of assessing and financing a range of buyout transactions.
Conducted business, industry, market and financial due diligence on acquisition targets on behalf of the bank, private equity and corporate clients.
Created a pitch book for corporate finance and M&A deals.
Managed client responsibilities with some of the world's largest private equity funds.
Drafted credit committee materials and recommendations ahead of IPOs, M&A and LBO transactions.
Executed numerous transactions including, $1.7 billion LBO of GNC Inc. and $1.5 billion sale of USIS, Inc.

Focus areas: Market Research, Credit Analysis, Valuation Analysis, Financial Modeling, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)