People moves and key promotions in securitisation

This week’s roundup of securitisation job swaps sees Allen & Overy hiring five structured finance professionals from Milbank, including a new partner, ahead of its merger with Shearman & Sterling. Elsewhere, Howden CAP has appointed a new head of execution to its tax and contingent risks team, while Winston & Strawn has added a transactions partner to its New York structured finance practice.

John Goldfinch (pictured) has joined Allen & Overy as structured finance partner based in London, two months after leaving his role as partner at Milbank. The development follows news earlier this month that Emma Dwyer, formerly partner and head of derivatives and structured finance at A&O, had left the firm after 28 years (SCI 2 February).

The firm has also appointed four other structured-finance-focused Milbank professionals including Adrian Kwok and Peter West, who take on the roles of senior associate. Eleanor Cripps and Alexandra Wells have also followed Goldfinch to A&O.

Goldfinch left Milbank in December after 12 years with the firm. He has a particular focus on CLOs and related markets, and previously worked at Bedell Group before joining Weil Gotshal and Manges.

The multiple changes come ahead of A&O’s merger with Shearman & Sterling and the consolidated group’s subsequent rebranding as A&O Shearman. The merger received the approval of both firms’ boards in October 2023, when more than 99% of votes cast by each board were in favour of the move. The transaction is due to formally close in May.

Meanwhile, Gregor McMillan has joined Howden CAP’s tax and contingent risks team as head of execution, based in London. He brings significant securitisation, risk transfer and tax structuring experience to the team, having spent 25 years in investment banking at Barclays and Merrill Lynch, most recently as md, head of principal secured issuance and risk transfer, treasury at the former.

McMillan will advise the firm’s banking, asset management and large corporate clients on innovative, new-to-market tax and contingent risk insurance solutions designed to support investment, growth and capital optimisation opportunities, as well as leveraging his extensive capital markets experience and network to build out its funding solutions platform for insured contingent assets.

Winston & Strawn has added Michelle Abad to its structured finance practice as a New-York-based partner in its transactions department. Abad joins the firm from fintech platform Rocket Central, where she spent a little more than two years as senior counsel, including a one-and-a-half-year secondment. She previously spent seven years at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.

Canyon Partners has appointed James Anderson as head of EMEA capital formation, based in the firm’s London office. Most recently, Anderson served as head of UK and EMEA sales and distribution at Barings, where he helped establish and was integral to the growth of the company’s European business for nearly 13 years. Canyon’s London-based investment team has deployed approximately US$20bn of capital over the last decade across corporate and structured credit-oriented strategies and the firm says it plans to hire additional team members in the region over the coming months.

Federated Hermes has strengthened its real estate debt team with the appointment of Paul Robinson as director, origination and structuring, based in London. In this newly created role, Robinson will report to Vincent Nobel, head of asset-based lending, and will be responsible for driving the origination of lending opportunities and the creation of customised loan structuring. He previously led the underwriting teams at Trimont Real Estate Advisors and Hudson Advisors.

Holland & Knight has strengthened its real estate capital markets group with the addition of partner Chris Ezell in Miami. Ezell focuses on business litigation involving creditors' rights, lender liability, commercial contracts and injunctive relief, including advising clients on compliance with CMBS pooling and servicing agreements. He was previously a partner with Jones Walker.

Alcentra has promoted Cameron McKenzie to executive director, based in London. He was previously a vp at the firm, which he joined as a structured credit analyst in August 2016.

And finally, Natixis CIB has promoted Damian Hammond to vice president, structured finance hedging, in its New York office. Hammond rejoined Natixis in 2022 after a brief stint at Credit Suisse and is promoted from associate.

Kenny Wastell, Corinne Smith