People moves and key promotions in securitisation

DWS has appointed Max Elliott-Taylor as CLO portfolio manager. Based in London, he reports to Dan Robinson, EMEA head of alternative credit at the firm.

Elliott-Taylor joins DWS from CIFC Asset Management, where he was most recently a portfolio manager. He managed five active CLOs alongside other related asset strategies. Prior to this, Elliott-Taylor worked at Investcorp Credit Management (ICM) and Legal & General.

His recruitment follows the key hires of Vlado Spasov as head of capital solutions in April, Roscoe Roman as senior investment manager for EMEA alternative credit in March and Robinson himself in November 2023. These appointments are part of DWS’s strategic initiative to grow its €108bn alternatives franchise, which has a 50-year plus track record, with expertise in real estate, infrastructure and liquid real assets.

Watson Farley & Williams assets and structured finance partner, Emily Widdrington, is set to relocate to the UAE in a bid to strengthen its offering in the Middle East. Having served in the firm’s London office since 2008, Widdrington will move to Dubai in August to support the firm’s ship finance practice in the region.

Interpath Advisory has recruited securitisation specialist, John Midgley, to launch its new Loan Portfolio Diligence (LPD) offering. Based in the firm’s office in Leeds, Midgeley joins with close to 25 years’ experience in the structure finance industry, having most recently worked at KPMG supporting the expansion of its securitisation services in the UK and UAE.

Holland & Knight welcomes new structured finance partner, Taylor Speers, to its financial services team in Dallas, Texas. Speer represents clients on a range of structured finance transactions, including residential mortgage loan, servicing right and servicing advance financing. Previously, Speers was a partner in the capital markets group of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft before joining Winston & Strawn in 2023.