Chris Salamasick

Chris is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of CMD Global Partners. Chris has advised clients throughout his career across sales, mergers, divestitures, acquisitions, debt financings and restructurings, often involving complexity or cross-border considerations. In addition to his management responsibilities at the Firm, Chris leads the Firm’s Global Industrials practice.

Prior to founding CMD, Chris was a Managing Director at XMS Capital Partners, where he led a series of public and private transactions in the industrial sector, as well as several long-term financial advisory and strategy assignments for multinational corporate clients.

Chris began his career as an investment banker at Lazard Frères in 2008, executing a range of mergers, acquisitions and restructuring assignments. He was among a small group of analysts directly promoted to post-MBA associate roles at Lazard and worked across a variety of groups in Chicago and New York. Chris’ role as a key member of Lazard’s Global Automotive practice included advising on a series of automotive supplier restructuring engagements, M&A processes and capital markets exits during and after the Great Recession.

Chris graduated cum laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography, as well as a minor in Music Performance (Double Bass). While at Northwestern, Chris served as Principal Double Bassist of the Chamber Orchestra and Assistant Principal Double Bassist of the Symphony Orchestra, studying under Michael Hovnanian of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and soloist DaXun Zhang. His university studies concluded with a semester at New Zealand’s oldest university, University of Otago in Dunedin, where he studied development economics and geography and had the opportunity to backpack for over 40 days across multiple of the South Island’s long-distance tracks.

Chris is an avid endurance athlete, trail runner and outdoor enthusiast, and has completed over 40 marathons and ultramarathons across North America, Europe and Asia. While he grew up competitively cycling and running in Plano, Texas, his favorite outdoor locations have included New Zealand’s Rakiura Track, the Ice Age Trail of Wisconsin, Michigan’s Isle Royale and the European Alps.