BAIN & COMPANY'S LAURA MILES RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF CONSULTING MAGAZINE'S 2015 WOMEN LEADERS IN CONSULTING

Miles heads Bain's Global Mergers & Acquisitions/Corporate Finance Practice – one of the leading capability areas at the firm

New York – Oct. 16, 2015 – Laura Miles, head of Bain & Company's Global Mergers & Acquisitions/Corporate Finance Practice, has been recognized by Consulting Magazine as one of its 2015 Women Leaders in Consulting. Miles, who was honored with the Excellence in Leadership Award, is a highly sought-after advisor among clients because of her experience and leadership in the area of M&A – one of the leading capability areas at Bain.

Miles leads Bain's Global M&A/Corporate Finance Practice, overseeing the firm's corporate M&A and corporate finance sectors, which were managed separately before they were consolidated under Miles.  She assumed her current role earlier this year after serving as head of the firm's Americas M&A Practice for more than three years.

"I'm honored to receive this recognition," said Miles. "It is a ‘thank you' to my mentors, colleagues, clients and my family for all the ways they've encouraged and enabled me professionally and personally."

Since becoming a Bain partner in 2005, Miles, who is based in the firm's Atlanta office, has advised her clients on the successful completion of more than a dozen deals totaling over $78 billion.

She is also responsible for developing a set of tools that have expanded Bain's ability to support clients in building their internal M&A capabilities and preparing them for integration success, even after their engagement with the firm ends. This includes Bain's comprehensive M&A toolkit, which has had such an immediate impact for both clients and case teams that Bain now deploys it in nearly every integration – well over 100 in the last seven years.

Miles' perspective on improving customer experience during a merger was featured in Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. She has authored or co-authored a number of reports on M&A-related topics that have been widely cited by international business media, including, "Why some merging companies become synergy overachievers," and "Integrating cultures after a merger."

In addition to her client work, Miles is a member of Bain's Global Women's Leadership Council, a steering group that sets the firm's strategy on women's issues. She has also held key roles in leading Bain's recruiting and training programs. 

"Laura stands out as an exemplary leader among her clients and with her teams across the firm," said Russ Hagey, senior partner and Bain's chief talent officer. "I am thrilled that she has been recognized by Consulting magazine as one of the top female leaders in this industry and, on behalf of my colleagues across Bain, I congratulate her on this prestigious honor."

Outside Bain, Miles has successfully tapped her professional background to benefit the local Atlanta community. She has been a member of the board of the Atlanta History Center since 2007 and served as board chair from 2013-14. She is also on the board of Holy Innocents' Episcopal School.

Miles joined Bain in 1998. She earned her MBA from Darden at the University of Virginia, where she received the William Michael Shermet Award for Academic Excellence and the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University with a B.A. in economics and psychology.

Prior to joining Bain, Laura worked as a financial analyst at Salomon Brothers (now Citigroup). She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons.

Miles and her fellow honorees will be recognized at an awards gala at the St. Regis New York on Nov. 12.  Coverage of the honorees and the event will appear in Consulting magazine's December issue (www.consultingmag.com). Consulting is published by ALM, a global leader in specialized industry news and information.

Editor's Note:To arrange an interview with Ms. Miles, please contact Dan Pinkney at dan.pinkney@bain.com or +1 646 562 8102.

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