NEW YORK — Joele Frank’s Matthew Sherman handled comms for North America’s biggest M&A deals in 2021, while Roland Klein from Kekst CNC earned the same distinction for the EMEA region, according to the latest rankings from MergerLinks.

Sherman, Joele Frank president and partner, advised on deals totaling nearly £96 billion ($130b) over the year.

The 2021 rankings from M&S professionals’ platform MergerLinks, which looks at deals of over £100 million ($136m), found that two other practitioners from Joele Frank were among the top five M&A advisors in North America. Partner Andrew B. Siegel ranked third, having worked on deals totaling roughly £61.1 billion ($83b). Founder and managing partner Joele Frank (pictured), who topped the 2020 list, ranked fourth, advising on deals worth about £58 billion ($80b).

Sard Verbinnen & Co. managing director John Christiansen ranked second. He advised on deals totaling £61.2 billion ($83b). Kekst CNC partner Daniel Yunger ranked fifth for advising on deals valued at £53 billion ($72b).

London-based Kekst partner Klein, meantime, earned the top EMEA spot for his work handling comms for M&A deals worth £36 billion ($49b). His fellow Kekst partner Oliver Mann ranked second for his work on transactions valued at £21 billion ($28b).

The third spot went to Community Group’s Auro Palomba, who advised on deals worth £16 billion ($22b). Tulchan Communications’ Simon Pilkington ranked fourth, with £15 billion ($20b), and Brunswick Group’s Christopher Charles Blundell ranked fifth, with £10 billion ($13b).