Greenhill Says Two Managing Directors Died in Plane Crash

By Laura Marcinek - Dec 21, 2011 1:24 AM GMT+0700

Greenhill & Co. (GHL) said two of its managing directors, Jeffrey F. Buckalew and Rakesh Chawla, were killed when a small plane crashed on a New Jersey highway today.

Buckalew’s wife Corinne and two children were also aboard, according to a statement today from New York-based Greenhill, which cited media reports that there were no survivors. Buckalew, an experienced pilot, owned the plane, Greenhill said.

“The firm is in deep mourning over the tragic and untimely death of two of its esteemed colleagues and members of Jeff’s family,” Chairman Robert Greenhill and Chief Executive Officer Scott Bok said today in the statement. “Jeff was one of the first employees of Greenhill. He and Rakesh were extraordinary professionals who were highly respected by colleagues and clients alike.”

The plane, headed for Georgia, crashed today on Interstate 287 in Harding, New Jersey, the Associated Press reported. New Jersey police confirmed that three people, and possibly as many as five, died in the crash, according to a statement posted on Twitter.

Buckalew, 45, led Greenhill’s North American advisory activities. He came to Greenhill in 1996 after working at Salomon Brothers, according to the firm. Chawla, 36, was a managing director for the financial services sector. He joined the firm in 2003 from Blackstone Group LP.

Greenhill shares fell 12 cents to $35.12 at 1:16 p.m. in New York trading, erasing earlier gains.

To contact the reporter on this story: Laura Marcinek in New York at lmarcinek3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rick Green at rgreen18@bloomberg.net; David Scheer at dscheer@bloomberg.net