Samuel Bright

Current

Associate - Tech M&A at B of A Merrill Lynch

Past

Summer Associate (Technology M&A) at Merrill Lynch
Analyst at Forrester Research
Researcher at Forrester Research

Senior Research Associate at Forrester Research
Research Associate at Forrester Research
Research Manager at Northeast Indiana Innovation Center

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Education

Harvard Business School
Taylor University

Recommended

18 people have recommended Samuel

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Information Technology and Services

Websites

Samuel Bright’s Summary

Former research manager at high tech, mixed use business incubator. Prior to business school, I was an analyst at Forrester research writing research reports, leading consulting projects, answering client questions, and serving as a resource to the press on enterprise IT talent management. This past summer, I completed a successful internship with Merrill Lynch in their Technology M&A group where I will work full-time beginning in August. In June, I graduated from Harvard Business School

Samuel Bright’s Specialties:

IT recruitment, retention, rotation and development, roles and skills, reskilling; technology entrepreneurship

Samuel Bright’s Experience

Associate - Tech M&A

B of A Merrill Lynch

(Public Company; BAC; Investment Banking industry)

August 2009 — Present (4 months)
Summer Associate (Technology M&A)

Merrill Lynch

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; MER; Financial Services industry)

June 2008 — August 2008 (3 months)

Worked closely with senior bankers on a mix of sell-side, buy-side, and defense transactions in the technology sector.
• Engaged in multiple aspects of deal execution and analysis as a member of the sell-side deal team for the $3 billion acquisition of Foundry Networks by Brocade Communications
• Created downside scenarios for pro forma financials; prepared valuation ranges based on spreading comparables and building LBO and DCF models; and conducted peak-to-trough valuation of client during past industry cycles relative to peer and NASDAQ performance.
• Analyzed company defenses, shareholder rights plan comparables, past activist campaigns, activist portfolio returns, target board composition, and proxy fight strategy.
• Participated in client calls and in-person meetings with management teams to discuss strategic direction and alternatives.
Analyst

Forrester Research

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; FORR; Research industry)

January 2007 — July 2007 (7 months)

• Specialized in IT skills, career paths, workforce strategies, and talent management
• Wrote Forrester research reports on job rotation, recruitment, hot skills, skills assessment, IT-academia partnerships, IT branding, etc.
• Answered client inquiries from CIOs and IT managers at $1B+ firms via email, phone, and one-on-one visits
• Provided interviews and quotes to over 11 press publications including CIO, Investor's Business Daily, eWeek, etc.
• Delivered IT staffing consulting projects to Fortune 500 firms
• Spoke at industry events such as:
- Houston Society for Information Management meeting
- Rice University Center on the Management of IT
- Forrester's IT Forum track session
Researcher

Forrester Research

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; FORR; Research industry)

July 2006 — December 2006 (6 months)

• Ghostwrote 14 reports based on survey analysis, analyst input, and personal interviews with top IT executives — including two number one reports in client readership and a “Best Research” award winner
• Launched and marketed, internally and externally, a new consulting offering resulting in six-figure revenue for the firm and the IT leadership team
Senior Research Associate

Forrester Research

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; FORR; Research industry)

April 2006 — June 2006 (3 months)

• Trained and mentored new research associates, developed workflow, and assigned projects
• Interviewed, hired, trained, and managed summer intern
• Developed a marketing plan for the IT Management Orbit and educated our sales force and PR team about our analysts, consulting capabilities, and upcoming research.
• Collaborated across departmental boundaries to analyze survey results, prepare consulting presentations, and market events to deliver value to our clients
Research Associate

Forrester Research

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; FORR; Research industry)

June 2005 — March 2006 (10 months)

• Conducted over 175 interviews and scheduled hundreds more with IT, risk, HR, and security executives to validate our research hypotheses and discover real-world examples
• Created, launched, monitored, and analyzed electronic surveys and highlighted key findings for use in consulting presentations, client queries, and research reports
Research Manager

Northeast Indiana Innovation Center

(Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

October 2002 — May 2005 (2 years 8 months)

• Team led ISO 9001:2000 certification along with an outside consultant for NIIC including writing the processes and procedures, educating the organization, and interacting with the auditor
• Co-wrote a business plan for a telematics start-up and a pooled fund proposal for multi-state legislative financial participation in the development of telematics infrastructure
• Rewrote the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s Strategic Plan
• Conducted interviews with the directors of nationally recognized life science incubators to document critical success factors
• Wrote market analyses, marketing plans, primers, and best practices on topics that included: advanced manufacturing, cardiovascular industry, oncology, urology, orthopedics, venture capital, educational kiosks, hydraulic components, trucking, electronic medical records, and lawn & garden retail
• Trained 5-10 interns annually on proper research procedure, assisted with intern supervision, and set intern research agendas

Samuel Bright’s Education

Harvard Business School

MBA , 2007 — 2009

Activities and Societies:

African-American Student Union (AASU); Finance Club; Business, Industry, & Government (BIG) Club; Entrepreneurship Club; Venture Capital & Private Equity Club; Techmedia Club
Taylor University

B.A. , Management , 2002 — 2005

Graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA in 3 years

Activities and Societies:

• Served as a Resident Assistant (RA) for one semester and as a Summer Session RA
• Elected VP of Finance for Taylor Student Organization for the 2003-2004 school year
• Re-nominated and approved after the sudden departure of the new VP of Finance for 2004-2005
• Responsible for a $7,000 budget surplus at the end of the first fiscal year and a $10,000 surplus at the end of the second fiscal year

Additional Information

Samuel Bright’s Websites:

Samuel Bright’s Interests:

Entrepreneurship, emerging technologies, M&A, real estate, strategic planning, organizational behavior, politics, social networking, exercise, international travel

Samuel Bright’s Groups:

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Fort Wayne – Allen County

Board Member and Radio Show Co-Host Jan 2004 – May 2005

• Appointed to the Executive Committee of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Branch of the NAACP, as the only youth participant
• Led reactivation of a city-wide Youth Council of the NAACP targeting high school students. Organized a committee, solicited parent and teacher participation, and coordinated communication with the local, state, and national offices of the NAACP
• Co-hosted a weekly live call-in public affairs radio show. Hosted the show in the absence of the President of the NAACP. Interviewed public officials, community leaders, and business people
• Received the NAACP Youth Leadership Award at the Annual Freedom Fund Banquet in recognition of efforts to launch the College Chapter and Youth Council