Greenhill calls itself “a unique investment banking firm,” and to be sure, it a service model quite unlike its behemoth competitors. The firm focuses primarily on its advisory work, which includes mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, financings, capital raisings, and secondary fund investment sales. 

Greenhill is a relatively young one by Wall Street standards: less than 30 years old. In 1996, Robert F. Greenhill, former head of Smith Barney and former president of Morgan Stanley, struck out on his own and founded an eponymous boutique firm. More recently, in December 2023, Tokyo-based Mizuho Financial Group acquired Greenhill (which kept its name and leadership team in place following the deal). This combination provides clients with both advisory and financing solutions, leveraging the expertise of Greenhill with the $2 billion balance sheet and capital markets capabilities of Mizuho.