yàmi̱ – Trust as the Foundation of Success
The name yàmi̱ originates from the language of the indigenous Bribri people of Costa Rica and means family or close confidants. At yami̱ advisory, this is precisely what we stand for: trust, cohesion and responsibility – within our team as well as in our interaction with clients.
These values shape our mindset and actions as advisors and form the foundation of every successful partnership. We are convinced that only on the basis of trust and genuine collaboration can solutions emerge that generate lasting impact.
We see ourselves not merely as external advisors, but as reliable partners to all those involved in our projects and objectives. Our aim is to jointly develop sustainable solutions that are economically sound, feasible and forward-looking. In doing so, we place great importance on collaboration characterised by openness, transparency and mutual respect.
Founded on the conviction that successful advisory services are built on genuine partnership, we combine analytical expertise with a deep understanding of people and organisations. This creates trust that extends beyond individual projects. Hence we believe: long-term success is driven not only by expertise, but by reliability and a form of collaboration that endures – as in a strong community.
Experienced Team with Deep Market Understanding and Long-Standing Structuring Expertise
Christian Wolber
Founder & Managing Partner
Christian is the founder and managing partner of yami advisory. He has 18 years of experience in debt structuring and advisory with a strong focus on the leveraged finance market.
He began his career in London, one of the world’s leading financial centres, where he spent twelve years in leveraged finance roles at Barclays Capital and Citigroup, among others. Prior to founding yami advisory, Christian served for over six years as Head of Debt Advisory at Gracher, where he built the practice from scratch and developed it into a successful advisory platform in the DACH region.
Over the course of his career, Christian has structured and executed more than €30 billion in debt financings for private equity investors and corporates, ranging from small- and mid-cap to large-cap transactions across the international capital markets.
Christian holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Maastricht University and a Master’s degree in Banking & Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
m: +49 151 428 35564
e: christian@yami-advisory.com
Andreas Schmidt
Director
Andreas is a Director at yami advisory and a seasoned financing specialist with more than 15 years of experience in structuring and executing complex debt financings in the mid-market and private equity environment.
After positions at Sparkasse Rheinhessen and VR Bank Rhein-Neckar eG, he played a key role from 2020 onward in building the Acquisition and Structured Finance practice at Volksbank eG – Die Gestalterbank.
His focus includes structuring leveraged buyout, succession and growth financings, as well as negotiating with banks, debt funds and institutional lenders. With his extensive experience in risk analysis, portfolio management and return optimisation, he combines analytical depth with a strong awareness of marketable financing structures.
Andreas is a certified Bankbetriebswirt (ADG) and holds a Master of Science in Finance & Accounting (FOM University). He also completed the Genossenschaftliches Bankführungsseminar (GBF) and is the author of the specialist book “Zum Einfluss von Krisen auf die Profitabilität von Banken”.
m: +49 160 277 7257
e: andreas@yami-advisory.com
Alexander Wehrhahn
Associate Director
Alexander is an Associate Director at yami advisory. He has over 16 years of experience in commercial lending, with a focus on tailored debt solutions for mid-sized companies and private equity investors.
He supports entrepreneurs, management teams and financial investors in complex acquisition, growth and refinancing projects in the small to mid-cap segment.
His professional career includes numerous transactions in the German Mittelstand – ranging from traditional business succession and leveraged buyouts to promissory note transactions and syndicated financings. In this context, Alexander operates at the interface between companies, private equity firms, banks and alternative capital providers, guiding both the structuring of financing and the negotiation process throughout the entire transaction.
His main focus is on developing robust capital structures, translating operational business models into bankable cash flow logics, as well as professionally managing credit processes and syndications. Thanks to his extensive experience in risk and covenant analysis, credit documentation, and approaching capital providers, he creates reliable financing solutions taking into account both investor requirements and entrepreneurial flexibility.
Alexander is a qualified banker and holds a diploma of the savings bank academy as well as a Bachelor of Science in Banking & Finance with a focus on Corporate Finance (University of Financial Management, Bonn).
m: +49 151 5372 2392
e: alexander@yami-advisory.com
Özay Süerdem
Associate Director
Özay is an Associate Director at yami advisory and has over 12 years of experience in the financial sector.
Following positions at EY and PwC, he spent more than five years working alongside Christian at Gracher, where he played a key role in building the firm’s debt advisory practice. During this period, he gained extensive experience in structuring complex financing solutions – ranging from acquisition, real estate and working-capital financings to sale-and-lease-back and sale-and-rent-back transactions, as well as refinancings and CAPEX projects.
At yami advisory, his focus lies on special situations and asset-based financing structures.
Özay holds a Master’s degree in Finance & Accounting from FOM University of Applied Sciences in Cologne.
m: +49 160 932 73366
e: oezay@yami-advisory.com
Thomas Kaiser
Senior Consultant
Thomas is a Senior Consultant at yami advisory and brings more than 20 years of banking experience.
Early in his career, he specialised in real estate financing. As a banking insider with leadership experience, he has in-depth knowledge of internal credit and approval processes. With this perspective, he can identify relevant issues at an early stage and prepare (particularly complex) financing requests in the most effective manner.
Accordingly, Thomas focuses primarily on real estate transactions, including acquisition and refinancing structures, as well as sale-and-lease-back and sale-and-rent-back solutions.
Thomas holds a degree in Business Administration (Diplom-Kaufmann) from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.
m: +49 160 901 34506
e: thomas@yami-advisory.com
