People moves and key promotions in securitisation

This week’s roundup of securitisation job swaps sees carbon fintech business Flowcarbon bulk up its structured finance muscles with a promotion and two new hires. Elsewhere, Atom Bank has appointed a former Arrow Global ceo as chair designate, while Bespoke Real Estate Advisers has promoted a founding member to chief investment officer. 

Flowcarbon has promoted Martin Kessler to chief business officer, just five months after hiring the former HSBC veteran to head up its business development and global markets team. Kessler left his position as md at HSBC in March 2022 after 11 years with the bank, where he most recently led the regional and global sales teams focused on derivatives and structured credit.

Kessler also previously spent four years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, seven years at Lehman Brothers and two and a half years at JP Morgan.

Flowcarbon was founded in 2021 and looks to secure financing for carbon negative projects. Carbon credits generated by the projects are then sold to organisations looking to offset their emissions. The business makes use of blockchain transactions in what it says is an effort to expand the voluntary carbon market at speed and help meet climate goals set by the Paris Agreement.

Kessler says Flowcarbon is aiming to leverage the team’s “rigorous structured finance skills” to help institutional investors looking to “place capital into climate channels”. His appointment also coincides with the firm’s hiring of another former HSBC md, Will Higbee, as head of project finance and former Pemberton md Bart Ras as head of carbon markets strategy and propositions.

Meanwhile, Atom Bank has named Lee Rochford as chair designate. Rochford was formerly group ceo at Arrow Global, having previously held securitisation-related positions at Wachovia, Credit Suisse and BNP Paribas, among other roles.

Bespoke Real Estate Advisers has promoted founding member Ed Wlodarczyk to chief investment officer. Wlodarczyk co-founded Bespoke in 2017 and is also president and ceo of Prairie Stone Investors, where he has spent 23 years.

CaixaBank has appointed Ikarus Capital’s Thibaud Ollivier as head of asset and structured trade finance for its UK branch, based in London. Ollivier joins after a four-month stint as senior advisor at Ikarus. He was previously group head of distribution and portfolio management in Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s transportation finance team and an EMEA-focused director in MUFG’s structured finance team.

Shearman & Sterling has rehired former counsel Alejandro Gordano from Linklaters as partner in its capital markets practice. Gordano focuses on structured finance transactions, including diversified payment right securitisations, as well as debt and equity offerings, credit facilities, restructurings and liability management. He is based in Shearman & Sterling’s New York office and leaves his position as counsel at Linklaters after three and a half years with the firm.

Renewable energy financing firm NORD/LB has appointed ICBC’s Olivia Jennings as a director in its structured finance portfolio management team, working out of its London office. Jennings spent two years at ICBC in the role of portfolio manager on its project and infrastructure finance team. She previously spent seven years at Société Générale.

Socar Trading, the Geneva-headquartered trading arm of Azerbaijani state-owned oil company Socar, has appointed Credit Suisse’s Antoine Sevray as head of trade and structured finance. Sevray leaves his role as team head at Credit Suisse after a year and a half with the bank, having previously spent 17 years with BNP Paribas.

Mizuho’s Siham El Abbassi has joined Export Finance Australia as associate director in its project and structured finance team, working out of Sydney. She leaves her role as senior associate on the project finance team at Mizuho after five years with the Japanese financial services business. She previously spent three years at BNP Paribas.

US law firm Seward & Kissel has appointed Sean Thorsen as counsel in its real estate group. Thorsen will be based in the firm’s New York office and focus on commercial real estate and securitisation. He leaves his role as associate in the real estate finance team at Cassin & Cassin after two and a half years with the business, and previously worked at McDermott Will & Emery, DLA Piper and Eckert Seamans.

Global real estate consultancy group Cushman & Wakefield has rehired Kristian Brown as senior associate in its equity, debt and structured finance team. Brown will be based in the firm’s Phoenix office and leaves his role as capital markets associate at real estate fintech firm CrowdStreet after one year. Prior to CrowdStreet he spent three years in Cushman & Wakefield’s equity, debt and structured finance team.

Australian financial services firm Perpetual Limited has promoted Jemma Roes to senior securitisation deal analyst. Roes joined the business four years ago and is based in its Sydney office.

Lightsource BP, the solar energy company partially owned by BP, has promoted São Paulo-based Sasha Sampaio to associate vice president in its structured finance team. Sampaio joined Lightsource BP in 2020 after three years with EY and two years with Brookfield Asset Management’s Brazilian division.