Ayna.AI welcomes Stephen Sonenshine as leader of Tax and Accounting COE and Head of M&A Advisory
July 17, 2023
SAN JOSE, CA – Ayna.AI (“Ayna”), an affiliate of Fernweh, announced today they have appointed Stephen Sonenshine as the head of the Tax and Accounting Center of Excellence (COE), the leader of Ayna's M&A Advisory service line, and a key member of the deal team's leadership group. Stephen brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new roles, having joined Ayna from BDO, where he served as a Partner in their Transaction Advisory Services practice.
With an impressive career spanning his entire professional life, Stephen has focused on mergers and acquisitions, having worked with renowned public accounting firms including Deloitte, PwC, and BDO. Throughout his career, Stephen has played a pivotal role in over 300 transactions, catering to a diverse range of clients, including large public companies, financial sponsors, and family-owned businesses. These deals have ranged in value from $5 million to an impressive $5.5 billion. Notably, Stephen recalls his involvement in the sale of MBM Foods to a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate as one of his most memorable deals, where he gained firsthand insight into Warren Buffet's legendary deal-making style — often negotiating on a napkin over dinner.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Stephen is a dedicated family man. He takes great pleasure in exploring new activities and sports with his children, often finding himself on the ballfield or in the gymnasium. In his quest for new adventures, Stephen is currently pursuing his pilot's license and instrument certification, aiming to facilitate his family's travel and the exploration of new places. As a testament to his enthusiasm for family-friendly destinations, Stephen invites suggestions from colleagues and friends.
Ayna's leadership team is thrilled to welcome Stephen Sonenshine, acknowledging his extensive expertise and experience in the field of mergers and acquisitions. His appointment is a significant addition to the firm, as Ayna looks to drive the next phase of growth in collaboration with Stephen and leverage his invaluable skills.
Ayna is excited to have him on board and looks forward to the impactful partnership that will contribute to the continued success of Fernweh and Ayna.
Fernweh is an investment firm led by leaders from global institutions with prior experience working with companies in the industrial and industrial technology sectors on strategy, M&A, and operational transformation. Fernweh believes that the mid- and small-cap industrial and industrial technology sectors are the backbone of the economy and the engine for its growth. By combining management capability, operational and strategic transformation support, and capital for each company’s unique context, history, and needs, Fernweh aims to be a builder of businesses and create value for all stakeholders. Fernweh’s CEO co-authored the book on the industrial technology sector “Titanium Economy,” which has been on the WSJ best seller list. Learn more at fernweh.com.
Ayna is a managed service provider that combines domain expertise, transformation capabilities, and an engaged operator model to help create “Segment-of-One” leaders in the industrial and industrial technology sector. They have a diverse team with skills and backgrounds ranging from operations to consulting to investment banking in both public and private markets. They provide a range of offerings to create the highest value tailored to each specific situation including, (1) Analytical tools and solutions for Improved transparency and effective and timely decision making (2) Support key value drivers on growth and portfolio strategy, pricing, and cost-structure optimization (3) Drive key value drivers for capital-based management (CBM), build-operate-transfer (BOT), end-to-end transaction management (4) Take position in capital stack. Learn more at https://www.ayna.ai/