TAP Advisors, (“TAP”), a New York-based investment banking boutique, today announced that James S. Kahan has joined the firm’s Advisory Board as a Senior Advisor. In this role, Mr. Kahan will provide strategic advice and counsel to TAP’s management team as it serves clients in the telecommunications and related sectors.

Founded in 2009, TAP Advisors provides its public and private company clients with a full range of merger and acquisition advisory services, private financing solutions, and cross-border and international expertise. Mr. Kahan will join a distinguished group of seasoned industry executives on TAP’s Advisory Board.

“Jim is one of the most savvy and experienced deal makers in the telecommunications industry and we are delighted to welcome him to our Board of Advisors,” said Karim F. Tabet, Founding Partner at TAP Advisors. “Jim’s long experience driving growth and acquisition strategies at one of the largest global telecommunications companies give him valuable insights that will greatly benefit TAP as we continue to provide our clients with sophisticated and independent advice.”

Most recently, Mr. Kahan was the Senior Executive Vice President of corporate development at AT&T, where he was responsible for all domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and venture capital investments. Mr. Kahan was appointed to this position at SBC Communications Inc. in October 1999, and remained in the post following the close of the SBC’s acquisition of AT&T Corp. in November 2005. During this period he reported directly to the Chairman/CEO and was a member of the senior team that established the strategic direction for the firm.

“The telecom industry continues to evolve, as evidenced by the recent deal activity,” said Mr. Kahan. “I look forward to working with TAP’s senior bankers where I can leverage the experience I have gained over a long career.”

Mr. Kahan began his career in 1967 with Western Electric in St. Louis, and held positions of increasing responsibility at Bell Laboratories, South Central Bell, AT&T, and later Southwestern Bell/SBC Communications. He was first appointed an officer at SBC as Senior Vice President - Corporate Development in 1992, and assumed additional responsibilities for strategic planning, marketing, and development of long-term business growth strategies. During his tenure with SBC, the company acquired many entities including Pacific Telesis (1997), SNET (1998), Ameritech (1999), and the former AT&T Corp. in 2005. He also oversaw AT&T’s acquisition of BellSouth Corp. in 2006 as well as the numerous transactions which formed the basis for Cingular Wireless (later renamed AT&T Wireless). In addition, Mr. Kahan oversaw numerous international transactions for SBC including those in Mexico, Israel, France, South Africa, Switzerland and Canada, among others. Overall he has been involved in over $300 billion in mergers, acquisitions and investments.

Mr. Kahan currently serves on the Boards of AMDOCS Ltd., an international provider of software and related services to the telecom industry, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. the world’s largest live music and ticketing company, and Frontier Communications, which provides voice, data and video services to residential and business customers in predominantly rural areas across the United States. Mr. Kahan earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina system.

About TAP Advisors

TAP Advisors is a client-focused, independent financial services advisory firm providing strategic advice and unbiased, impartial solutions to clients across a broad range of industries globally. Founded in 2009, TAP Advisors offers a full range of merger and acquisition advisory services, private financing solutions, and cross-border and international expertise to public and private companies worldwide. The Firm’s senior banking team has advised on some of the largest and most complex transactions over the last three decades across a variety of regions, products and industries, with announced M&A transactions exceeding $400 billion and over $85 billion in completed financings around the world.