Christine Abato Joins Team at Merit Investment Bank as Managing Director

Seattle, WA, November 14, 2025 --(PR.com)-- Merit Investment Bank, a leading middle-market investment bank, has announced that Christine Abato has joined the team as a Managing Director. She is a recognized expert in Aerospace & Defense (A&D) M&A and strategic advisory. With more than 25 years of experience in mergers & acquisitions, corporate development, and technology strategy, she has advised companies across defense electronics, space systems, satellite communications, and advanced manufacturing.

Prior to joining Merit, Christine was Managing Director and Aerospace & Defense Leader at Woodside Capital Partners, where she supported successful sell-side engagements including transactions with onsemi, Indie Semiconductor. Prior to that, she was an independent registered representative at ShorelineAmbrose Advisors where she led multiple successful sell-side engagements with Hanover Partners, and BGIS. Her practice focused on helping innovative companies in defense technology and mission-critical systems achieve strategic exits and growth capital.

Christine’s A&D perspective is grounded in over two decades at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, where she directed strategy and M&A for its $8B satellite and missile systems division. She spearheaded international expansion through targeted acquisitions, including building a new U.K. defense operation that grew from two employees to more than 400 within four years, securing billion-dollar contracts in the process.

She earned her MBA from Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and holds a B.A. in Physics from Binghamton University. Christine maintains FINRA Series 79, 62, and 63 licenses, and has completed executive M&A programs at The Wharton School and UCLA Anderson.

Media Contact:
J. Craig Dickens, Chairman
Merit Investment Bank
Craig.Dickens@MeritInvestmentBank.com
253-370-8893