People moves and key promotions in securitisation

This week’s roundup of securitisation job swaps sees the launch of a new real estate debt advisory firm, Karis Capital UK, led by a number of outgoing Sirius Group executives. Elsewhere, Invesco has lured a Munich-based Patrizia director to its EMEA structured debt finance team, while Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has appointed a Clifford Chance senior associate as a director in its international and structured finance department.

Nicholas Christofi has left his role as md at Sirius Group to take on the role of ceo at newly launched London-based real estate debt advisory firm Karis. Christofi specialised in high net-worth development and structured finance at Sirius and leaves the business after seven years. He previously spent nine years working on property development finance at Brightstar. 

Christofi takes a number of Sirius team members with him to Karis, including Leoni Alexandrou who is coo and was operations manager at Sirius, Craig Hardiman-Scott who takes on the role of sales director and leaves his position as head of sales at Sirius, Kimberley Gates who is director of client partnerships and was head of corporate partnerships at Karis, and Fodi Christodoulou who is appointed senior associate.

Karis will offer advisory services within the UK spanning a number of products, including development funding, short-term lending, investment finance, commercial mortgages, high net worth mortgages, asset finance and equity and insurance.

Meanwhile, Invesco has hired Alexander Hoffmann as a director in its EMEA structured debt finance team, based in its Munich office. Hoffmann leaves his role as a director at real assets investment manager Patrizia after three years. He previously spent nine years at Deutsche Pfandbriefbank and had stints at DZ HYP and DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale.

Clifford Chance’s Emily James has joined SMBC as a director in its international and structured finance department. James has been with Clifford Chance since 2011 and leaves her role as senior associate. She is based in London.

DWS has continued the expansion of its alternatives business with the naming of Dan Robinson as its new head of alternative credit for EMEA. Robinson joins DWS from Man Group subsidiary Capital Asset Solutions, where he not only served as managing partner but also led the Man Group structured credit and leveraged loans business as its global head of CLOs and loans. Robinson will be based in London and report to DWS global head of alternatives, Paul Kelly.

HDFC Bank has appointed V Srinivasa Rangan, the former executive director and cfo of HFDC Limited, to serve as its new executive director or “whole-time director”. A securitisation specialist, Rangan is to serve a three-year term in the role, as per recommendation by the nomination and remuneration committee. He brings real estate finance experience to the newly-established merger bank, having previously served on RBI’s committee on asset securitisation and mortgage backed securitisation.

Naina Patel has joined law firm Gowling WLG as a structured finance partner within its banking and finance practice. In her role as a senior legal consultant, Patel has worked with clients including ReLink, TSB Bank, Barclays Capital, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities and Lloyds Banking, across jurisdictions including London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Davis+Gilbert has named partner Joseph Cioffi as its new chief operating partner. Based in New York, Cioffi will undertake additional responsibilities on top of present duties as a serving member of the executive committee and chair of the insolvency and finance practice. Cioffi will replace partner Lewis Rubin who is due to retire from the firm at the end of this year.

And finally, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking has promoted Laetitia Koenig to legal counsel for derivatives and structured finance, based out of its Paris office. Koenig joined Natixis from Clifford Chance in early 2022 and moves from her previous position focusing on strategic equity capital markets.