Lazard has won its second mergers and acquisitions mandate for Nestlé in the space of four months after it was hired to advise on the company's purchase of the baby food business of Swiss rival Novartis.

Lazard is working with Nestlé alongside Credit Suisse, a long-standing adviser, on its $5.5bn (€4.1bn) all-cash acquisition of Gerber from Novartis, which is being advised by Goldman Sachs.