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THE HEDGE FUND JOURNAL
Originally published in the April 2012 issue

Newedge, a global leader in multi-asset brokerage and clearing, has made three senior appointments in the alternative investment solutions (AIS) division of its prime clearing services team. Marc Lorin has been named Deputy Head of AIS Origination and Structuring for Americas – AIS. He will oversee the prime brokerage sales team focusing on liquid alternatives such as hedge funds, CTAs and structuring managed accounts for investors in alternatives. Newedge has also made two AIS appointments in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. James Shekerdemian has been named Head of Origination and Structuring for EMEA. In this role, he will be responsible for driving further growth in the AIS business and for overseeing the continued build-out of Newedge’s equity franchise in the region. Charles Hill has been named Deputy Head of Origination and Structuring for EMEA on the AIS team. Hill has extensive experience in Newedge’s Prime Brokerage operation, having joined Fimat in 2002.

Anthony Gaughan has joined RG Investment Capital as a partner and chief operating officer to manage all non-investment activity. Previously, Gaughan co-founded the hedge fund business at M&G Investments, which managed assets of approximately $6 billion at peak. RG Investment Capital is a new London based hedge fund, founded by ex-Credit Suisse traders Carlo Ramirez and Olivier Garcia, joined by team members Dilbagh Kalsi and Thierry Guilhot. RG Investment Capital is launching its first fund, the RG Asia Fund, in the 2nd Quarter of 2012. The fund will invest within the liquid universe of Asia-Pacific markets, utilising a fundamental long/short approach, enhanced by opportunities in derivatives within a quantitative portfolio construction and risk management framework.

PineBridge Investments has appointed Talal Al Zain as chief executive officer of the firm’s Middle East and North Africa operations. His appointment marks the launch of PineBridge’s full service operations in MENA, which will see the establishment of new regional headquarters. Al Zain was formerly CEO of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the sovereign wealth fund and investment arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain. In addition to managing PineBridge’s regional operations, Al Zain will serve on PineBridge’s executive committee. He will also be co-head of alternative investments, assuming joint management responsibility for the firm’s private equity, hedge fund and other alternative investment businesses globally with Hans Danielsson, PineBridge’s head of investments.

Hedge Fund Research, Inc. (HFR) has appointed Joel M. Schwab as a managing director, a role in which he will head up new business development efforts for HFR Hedge Fund Database & Research Products. Schwab launched and developed the commercial business of the HedgeFund.net hedge fund database for Channel Capital Group Inc. prior to its acquisition by eVestment, and most recently was senior vice president – alternatives for eVestment Alliance LLC. Prior to Channel Capital, Schwab practiced law in the Corporate Department of the law firm Katten Muchin Zavis in Chicago.

New senior professionals have joined Ernst & Young LLP to expandthe West Coast sector of its Asset Management tax practice. “Michael Doolan, Mark Gutierrez, Paul Kangail and Eric Wauthy bring deep experience working with clients to help them retain and grow assets, enhance investment performance, mitigate business and tax risk and respond to regulatory changes,” said Michael Serota, Global Hedge Fund co-leader and Global Asset Management tax leader for Ernst & Young. “Their joining is also evidence of Ernst & Young LLP’s growth on the West Coast in the asset management industry. In addition, they bring a broad range of hedge and mutual fund, private equity and venture capital experience, including international structuring acumen.” Doolan was previously a senior managing director with Macquarie Bank in New York, where he led tax and structuring for the asset management business in the Americas. Prior to joining Macquarie, Doolan worked on M&A transactions at KPMG LLP and served as KPMG’s Australian firm’s rotating partner in the United States. Gutierrez was a leader of Deloitte Tax LLP’s Pacific Southwest Asset Management practice. Prior to joining Deloitte in 2001, he was a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Los Angeles and Boston Asset Management practices. Kangail was formerly a tax partner with Rothstein Kass & Co., where he led its Bay Area Financial Services Tax practice. He is also a former partner at Deloitte LLP. Prior to joining Ernst & Young LLP, Wauthy was a leader of Deloitte Tax LLP’s Pacific Southwest Asset Management practice.

Rothstein Kass, a services provider to the financial services industry, has added the HC Associates LLC (HC) team to its business advisory services group. HC founder and CEO Edward R. Tedeschi and president and chief operating officer Carl J. Versella have joined Rothstein Kass as principals. As members of the Rothstein Kass Business Advisory Services Group, the HC team will continue to focus on strategic business planning for sophisticated clients, including due diligence services, treasury management, counterparty credit / risk management, service provider analysis, compliance services and interim role responsibilities. Consulting services across disciplines include finance, operations, compliance, credit and risk, and technology support, complementing existing capabilities. Tedeschi founded HC in San Francisco in 2002 and brings over 30 years of diverse operating experience to his new position at Rothstein Kass. Versella joined HC in 2005 and expanded the firm’s regional presence by opening an office in New Jersey. He has 30 years of related experience encompassing senior positions at Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Tiger Management.

Maples Fund Services, the independent global fund services provider and a division of MaplesFS, has expanded its European operations with the hire of Steve Lewis, Director of European Business Development. Based in London, Lewis is responsible for expanding the fund administration and middle-office businesses across the firm’s European offices; he will work closely with Scott Somerville, CEO of MaplesFS, and Toni Pinkerton, Global Head of Fund Services, as well as the Regional Heads of Fund Services for Dublin and Luxembourg to execute the firm’s business development and growth strategy. Lewis was previously at State Street Bank & Trust, where he focused on sales of administration, custody services and associated products to the UK alternative investments market. He has had significant consultancy, relationship management, technology, operations and product management experience throughout his career.

Man Group plc has announced the appointment of Ravi Chari as co-Head of Foreign Exchange at AHL, its systematic managed futures manager. Chari has a 12-year career in systematic trading at hedge funds. He joins Man from IKOS Asset Management, where he headed the group’s Futures and FX funds. Prior to joining IKOS in January 2010, Ravi was a Portfolio Manager at Millennium Partners, running FX strategies. Chari spent five years with DKR Capital before joining Millennium and prior to that he was at Caxton Associates for two years. Tim Wong, Chief Executive of AHL, said, “We are pleased to be strengthening the team at AHL with someone who has such a wealth of experience in systematic trading as Ravi. I look forward to working with him.” Chari holds a Ph.D. in probability theory from Michigan State University.

Luke Halestrap has joined BlueCrest Capital Management, one of Europe's biggest hedge fund firms, as a portfolio manager on the BlueCrest Capital International fund. Halestrap, co-founded London-based hedge fund firm Northbay Investment Management in 2002. He joins BlueCrest from Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he was head of EMEA rates. In a separate hire, Bluecrest has hired Greg Clerkson, as head of global consultant relations in January. Clerkson joined from Russell Investment Group where he had been a director of alternative investments.