Speaker Profile

Managing Director, Evercore Lyle Ayes is a Managing Director of the firm's corporate advisory business and co-heads the firm's Sports practice. Prior to joining Evercore, Mr. Ayes was an Executive Director of Morgan Stanley's Mergers & Acquisitions Department, where he focused on the sports, healthcare, and consumer industries. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Ayes was a Vice President at an M&A advisory boutique. Mr. Ayes began his career at the international law firm, Shearman & Sterling, practicing corporate law with a focus on mergers & acquisitions and securities transactions. Notable sports transactions Mr. Ayes has advised on include: sale of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center (pending); Spire Capital's sale of Professional Bull Riders (pending); IMG's sale to WME / Silver Lake Partners, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan's $2. 1 billion sale of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to Bell / Rogers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers on a recapitalization of the franchise. Mr. Ayes has also worked with the National Basketball Association on several related party team valuation analyses, the National Football League in connection with the due diligence of potential franchise owners, as well as numerous investors reviewing potential acquisitions of sports franchises and other high profile media properties. Mr. Ayes received a B. A. in political science, summa cum laude , from the University of Colorado and a J. D. , cum laude , from Harvard Law School.