People moves and key promotions in securitisation

This week’s roundup of securitisation job swaps sees Hogan Lovells snapping up a hoard of Italy-based finance and M&A lawyers from Orrick, including a number of securitisation partners. Elsewhere, First Eagle Alternative Credit (FEAC) has revealed its leadership transition plan, as its president prepares to leave the firm early next year, while Newmark has appointed a UK- and Europe-focused head of debt and structured finance.

Hogan Lovells has poached a group of over 30 staff from Orrick in Italy, comprising 23 finance and M&A lawyers, as well as trainees and business services professionals. The group includes a team of five securitisation partners – Alessandro Accrocca, Annalisa Dentoni-Litta, Madeleine Horrocks, Patrizio Messina and Sabrina Setini (who joins as a new partner, having been of counsel at Orrick) – and provides assistance in both English and Italian law. 

Messina will succeed Luca Picone as Hogan Lovells’ managing partner for Italy, working alongside newly appointed deputy managing partner Vittorio Moresco. Picone has led the firm’s Italy practice for seven years and will continue to work closely with both Messina and Moresco.

Meanwhile, FEAC president Chris Flynn is to leave the firm in early 2025. Effective immediately, Flynn will share the title of FEAC co-president with Jim Fellows, cio of FEAC. Fellows will become president upon Flynn’s departure, while continuing to serve as cio, and this period of co-leadership is intended to promote a smooth transition of responsibilities. The pair now report to First Eagle president and ceo Mehdi Mahmud.

Fellows has been with FEAC and its predecessor companies for 20 of his more than 30 years in the alternative investment industry, most recently serving as FEAC’s cio and head of tradable credit. He is a member of FEAC’s global investment committee and the investment committees of both its tradable credit and direct lending platforms.

FEAC’s leadership transition plan also includes a number of other senior-level promotions, which are effective immediately. Deputy cio of direct lending Michelle Handy has been promoted to cio of direct lending, while deputy cio of tradable credit Bob Hickey has been promoted to cio of tradable credit. Brian Murphy, head of capital markets, and Garrett Stephen, co-head of origination and structuring for direct lending, have been promoted to co-heads of origination for FEAC. Murphy also retains his current title of head of capital markets.

In conjunction with these promotions, Handy, Murphy and Stephen have joined FEAC’s global investment committee alongside Flynn, Fellows, Hickey and head of business development Mike Herzig.

Newmark has recruited a new head of debt and structured finance for the UK and Europe, further bolstering its capital markets services in the region. Matthew Featherstone will join Newmark’s London office from CBRE Capital Advisors where he served as an executive director on its debt and structured finance team. Featherstone brings almost twenty years of experience to the role, and will work alongside Newmark’s senior team in the UK and newly recruited lead for its real estate investment banking group, Charlie Foster.

Scotiabank ceo and head of global banking and markets, Jake Lawrence, is to leave the group after 22 years to take up a new position as cfo at Power Corporation of Canada. Following his departure, Scotiabank’s present md and head of global fixed income, commodities and currencies, Paul Scurfield, will take over as global head of capital markets, global banking and markets. In addition, Michael Kruse will serve as Scotiabank’s interim global head of corporate and investment banking, global banking and markets.

Clifford Chance has poached structured finance specialist Blake Jones from Paul Hastings as a private capital-focused partner in its London office. Jones specialises in both public and private market securitisation transactions, and also brings a keen interest in ESG to his new role. Prior to his five-year tenure as a partner at Paul Hastings, Jones held positions at Citi, Linklaters and BlackRock.

Insurance services group Marco Capital has merged its Guernsey reinsurance subsidiaries Humboldt Re and Kelvin Re under a new brand called Marco Re. Now the largest carrier in the Marco Capital group, Marco Re has substantial financial strength and benefits from economies of scale derived from its merger, as its two component carriers had similar books of business. These two companies were originally formed and managed under Credit Suisse ILS.

Mark Elliott leads Marco Re as ceo and is supported by a senior team in Guernsey, as well as Marco’s specialist insurance services company Polo Commercial Insurance Services (PCIS). Elliott was previously ceo of Humboldt Re and Kelvin Re, having worked at Aon and Artex before that.

Dechert has added a new partner to its corporate and securities practice in New York. Eliot Relles has joined the firm from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he has served as a partner in its banking and finance division since 2020. He previously spent 23-years at Schulte Roth & Zabel. Relles’ practice focuses on a range of complex corporate finance transactions – including structured finance.

Frost Brown Todd has appointed Stoll Keenon Ogden‘s Alexander Staffieri as partner, based in its Louisville office. Staffieri works alongside banks and investors on transactions including commercial real estate lending, structured finance and asset-based lending. He leaves his role as member and co-chair of the business services group at Stoll Keenon Ogden after 12 years with the firm. 

Cushman & Wakefield's Lauren Greenberg has joined Berkadia as director for investment sales and structured finance, based in its New York office. Greenberg leaves her role as director for global hospitality capital markets at Cushman & Wakefield after four and a half years with the firm. She previously worked in real estate and structured credit roles at EY, Morningstar and The Weitzman Group.

UBS has promoted Paolo Bertoldo to director for leveraged and structured finance, based in its London office. Bertoldo joined the bank in 2019 and is promoted from associate director. He previously spent three years as a credit analyst in HSBC’s Milan office.

In further promotion news, Hall Structured Finance has elevated Bryce Yamauchi to vice president of originations. Based in Dallas, Yamauchi joined Hall in early 2021, having previously spent seven and a half years at Bay Mount Capital.

Inkia Energy's Ana Gabriela Farfán Estabridis has joined Santander as structured finance vice president, based in its Madrid office. Estabridis leaves her role as deputy business development manager at Inkia after five years with the business, having previously spent three and a half years at IC Power.

Andrew Readinger has joined NPL Markets as senior advisor, based in London. He has over 35 years of experience, most recently as md, head of Europe and North America financial institution group at Commerzbank, which he joined in February 2011. Before that, he worked at Depfa Bank, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan.

And finally, decarbonisation-focused asset management firm Aligned Climate Capital has appointed Katia Garrigoux Vargas as associate in its solar panels team, with a focus on solar project acquisitions and structured finance. Vargas will be based in New York and joins the firm after a brief contract as a consultant at Net Impact. She previously spent three and a half years at Numberly.

Corinne Smith, Claudia Lewis, Kenny Wastell