Finadium’s weekly roundup tracking industry moves.
Clear Street makes four appointments for business advisory push
Independent prime broker Clear Street announced that it has hired a team of experienced investment bankers who will build an investment banking and advisory offering. The business will provide strategic advisory, transaction, and creative capital solutions to emerging growth companies.
Andy Volz, chief operating officer and head of Sales at Clear Street, said in a statement: “As we continue to build out our suite of services to meet our clients’ needs, we remain focused on our mission to become a single-source platform that serves a variety of investor types, across multiple asset classes, on a global scale.”
The team will include the following industry experts:
- John D’Agostini, co-head of Investment Banking, joins Clear Street after more than 12 years as a managing director for Investment Banking at Jones Trading and started his career in equity sales and trading at Cantor Fitzgerald.
- Nicholas Hemmerly, co-head of Investment Banking, has nearly two decades of experience. Prior to Clear Street, he was senior managing director, and head of Investment Banking at Bridgeway Capital Partners and held senior positions at J.P. Morgan, PwC, Jefferies, JMP Securities, and more.
- Ryan J. Gerety, managing director, Investment Banking, comes to Clear Street from JonesTrading, where he most recently served as managing director for Equity Capital Markets. He began his 11-year tenure at JonesTrading in equity sales and trading before moving to the equity capital markets team.
- Wes Heffernan, executive director, Investment Banking, joins the team from EF Hutton, where he was a senior vice -president for Investment Banking. He also served as an analyst at Guggenheim Partners and Maxim Group.
“We’re thrilled to build a next-generation investment bank focused on establishing long-term partnerships and propelling growth using the momentum from Clear Street’s expanding platform,” said John D’Agostini, co-head of Investment Banking.
The four investment banking hires will report to Andy Volz, who oversees Clear Street’s business development and sales channels, as well as new business initiatives across the organization.
Wematch.live appoints Olivia Wong as head of APAC Securities Finance
Wematch.live announced that Olivia Wong has been hired as the new head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) Securities Finance. With her extensive expertise in securities finance, she will play a pivotal role in driving Wematch.live’s growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prior to joining Wematch.live, she held leadership positions at ScotiaBank, overseeing their Asia financing portfolio for five years. Prior to that, Olivia was at UBS, where she made significant contributions to their secured funding and collateral management strategies. Her decade-long experience in secured financing within Repo, equity stock loan, and equity financing provides valuable insights into the industry’s intricacies.
David Raccat, co-founder and global head of Securities Financing at Wematch.live, said in a statement: “Olivia’s ability to foster strong client relationships, her commitment to delivering exceptional service, and her strategic mindset will play a key role in shaping Wematch’s strategic vision for development and roadmap in APAC.”
In her new role, Wong will oversee critical responsibilities, including supporting and monitoring clients’ usage of the Wematch platform, providing real-time assistance, and ensuring a seamless user experience. She will engage with clients, onboard new users, and collaborate with the technical support team to address operational issues and suggest platform enhancements.
Wong said in a statement: “I am eager to leverage my expertise in securities finance and contribute to the development and growth of Wematch.live in the Asia-Pacific region. Together, we will continue to enhance liquidity, foster strong client relationships, and drive forward the strategic vision of Wematch.live in APAC.”
New Citi EMEA head of Securities Services
Citi announced the appointment of Reto Faber as the new head of Securities Services in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Securities Services operates in 34 markets in EMEA. In addition to growing the business in EMEA, Faber will be accountable for ensuring a robust risk and control environment and protecting Citi’s reputation.
“The continued development of our unique culture amongst our 3,200 Securities Services colleagues in the region will also be a focus for Reto, as we continue to bring together a diverse, inclusive and high-performing team,” Citi said in a statement.
Faber has more than 36 years of experience at Citi with his most previous role as Citi’s EMEA head of custody, and succeeds Maria Cantillon, who has chosen to focus on her EMEA Securities Services sales responsibilities. In his new role, he will report to David Livingstone, CEO for EMEA at Citi, and Okan Pekin, global head of Securities Services. He will assume management responsibility for a critical component of Citi’s global network and, with its high returns on capital, one of the bank’s key growth businesses.
ANNA appoints new director and new chair elected
The Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) announced that it has appointed a new Board Director of ANNA. Cristina Ribó Sörensen will take a position as one of ANNA’s directors on behalf of Spain’s National Securities Markets Commission (CNMV), replacing the seat on the ANNA board held by Euroclear SA/NV’s Dan Kuhnel, who is departing after 18 years as chair of the ANNA Board.
A new Chair was also selected. Torsten Ulrich of WM Datenservice, currently serving as vice-chair, will take up the post.
Sörensen said in a statement: “I look forward to promoting ANNA´s activities, particularly in the digital assets sector. Good governance and the harmonization and interoperability of data standards will also be priorities as we continue working with NNAs to further improve everything we do for industry.”
Ulrich said in a statement: “I look forward to my new role as Chair, improving global financial standards and working closely with NNAs to achieve extended interoperability and better data quality.”
Dan Kuhnel, ANNA’s departing chair, said in a statement: “I know that the new appointments have put ANNA in a strong position to continue the important role that both it and its members play in the global capital markets and the world of standards.”
SFT: CIBC Capital Markets hires Saunders as executive director
CIBC Capital Markets has appointed Michael Saunders as executive director of its global markets funding desk at the firm’s New York office. Source