Managing Director | Global Healthcare & Animal Health Executive
Alexander Petersen is a distinguished global executive and investment banker dedicated to accelerating healthcare innovation for both human and animal patients. As Managing Director and Founder of DanaShift, he provides a "no-nonsense" operational perspective to complex middle-market transactions. Throughout a career spanning North America, Western Europe, and Asia, Alexander has completed over $1 billion in animal health and veterinary services transactions. His reputation as a premier deal-maker has been solidified by prestigious industry accolades, including being named the "USA M&A Boutique Investment Banker of the Year" in 2021 and receiving multiple "Healthcare Deal of the Year" awards.
Alexander’s strategic expertise was forged during a decade-long tenure at McKinsey & Company, where he served as an Associate Partner and core leader in the firm’s global pharmaceutical and medical products practice. During this time, he led over 50 consulting engagements across three continents, advising leaders on commercial transformation, innovation, and post-merger management. He later moved into corporate leadership at IDEXX Laboratories, a publicly traded global leader in diagnostics, where he headed the Strategy and M&A team before serving as a Corporate Officer with P&L responsibility for a multi-million dollar portfolio of software, hardware, and big data products.
A decisive and hands-on entrepreneur, Alexander founded Wagly in 2014, a high-growth, multi-unit veterinary and pet services group. He successfully secured the private equity financing required to scale the business, eventually overseeing its growth for a decade. This founder-led experience, combined with his deep background in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics, allows him to offer unique, peer-to-peer advisory to business owners navigating their own exits or acquisitions.
Originally from Denmark and Sweden, Alexander holds an MBA from HEC Lausanne and a BS in Political Science from the University of Lausanne. He is a FINRA-registered M&A Advisor holding Series 79, 63, and 82TO licenses. Alexander is professionally fluent in English, French, Danish, and Swedish, and maintains a strong working knowledge of German.