Sarah Shizas, CFA, joined Cook M&A in 2018 as the Director of Research and Strategy. Sarah oversees the execution of Cook’s FocusFirst research process, which is designed to translate M&A strategies into identifiable characteristics and attributes and focus and exhaust the defined market. Sarah has worked on over 140 projects to source both add-on and platform acquisition opportunities for clients – spanning industries including healthcare, industrials, business services, food & beverage, and software and tech-enabled services. In addition, Sarah is focused on analyzing various sectors to develop insights into target-rich markets that could yield attractive investment opportunities for potential clients.

Sarah has over ten years of experience in the financial sector. Prior to joining Cook M&A, Sarah was an equity research associate at William Blair covering the software industry. She also worked as a credit analyst in the Bank of Montreal’s corporate banking division.

Sarah earned her BS in finance with a minor in accounting from DePaul University in 2011, where she played softball for four years. Sarah enjoys recreational softball, yoga, and traveling.