Citi has made three key hires in its Australian markets business, and one senior promotion as it looks to grow its offering in the region.
Andrew Bruce has been named director and head of low touch execution, having most recently served as an executive director the global equities team at JP Morgan.
Joining from Jefferies, where he served as head of sales trading, is Christian Ford who has been appointed director, equities high touch execution. He was a foundation member of Jefferies Australia where he also served as a managing director.
Nicolas Lebon is the third external hire for Citi’s Australian markets business, joining from Credit Agricole where he worked as a director in global markets sales. At Citi he is set to be a director in the firm’s corporate solutions group.
In addition, Dan Smith has been promoted from within to an expanded role, set to be take over as head of Australia, prime finance in the equities business.
Cristina Chang, head of markets for Australia and New Zealand, enthused: “These Markets appointments follow a record April result for our markets business, driven by volatile market conditions. I am confident the new additions to our team will add valuable expertise to our business.”
Citi’s Australia and New Zealand markets business currently has a sales and trading presence across all asset classes and products, including: equities, foreign exchange, rates, and commodities.
Elsewhere, Citi Australia and New Zealand has also announced several appointments across its research offering.
Paul Buys has been named head of research for Australia and New Zealand, joining from Canaccord Genuity where he held the same role. He replaces Paul McTaggart who is retiring at the end of the year. Buys’ previous positions include deputy head of APAC securities research for Credit Suisse.
Speaking to all the appointments, Mark Woodruff, chief executive of Citi Australia, said: “These new appointments reflect Citi’s continued investment in our Australian franchise, as we strive to deliver the best outcomes for our clients in a dynamic market environment.”