Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc said finance director Guy Whittaker will step down from the board and leave the bank later this year when a successor is found, most likely by October. Whittaker (pictured) joined RBS in 2006 after 25 years with Citigroup Inc.

In February, nonexecutive directors Bob Scott, Jim Currie, Bill Friedrich, Bud Koch, Janis Kong, Steve Robson and Peter Sutherland left the bank.

Oppenheimer & Co. hired Daniel Cohen as an executive director in its mergers and acquisitions investment banking group. He reports to Bruce McCarthy, head of M&A.

Cohen arrives from J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., where he was an executive director in healthcare investment banking. Before that, he spent 10 years at Bear, Stearns & Co. in its M&A and healthcare groups.

Jefferies Group Inc. hired Scott Shapiro and Steve Hassine from BNP Paribas SA to trade adjustable-rate mortgage securities packaged by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. They work from Stamford, Conn. Also, John Koutoupis was hired to cover mortgage- and asset-backed bond sales in Chicago. He worked at Sandler O'Neill & Partners LP.

Separately, Jefferies International Ltd. took on managing director Domenico Nardelli and senior vice president David Pye for its fixed income group in London. Nardelli joins from Banc of America Securities LLC, where he was a managing director in the global rates currencies and commodities group and head of the Euro medium term notes desk. Previously, he was head of international funding and liability management for the Italian Treasury. Pye covers rates sales and was most recently a vice president at Nomura International plc.

Independent investment bank Reynolds Partners appointed Tim Hammond, former head of investments and joint ventures at British Airways plc, to lead its new transport section. He was most recently a senior vice president at General Electric Co. and head of Europe for its airport division. Earlier, Hammond was an investment banker for 12 years, mainly at NM Rothschild & Sons Ltd. and Merrill Lynch & Co.

Check The Deal Pipeline for updates on these Movers & shakers:

• GoldenTree Asset Management LP tapped Tom Hajdukiewicz as a portfolio manager.
• Johnston Blakely & Co. LLC said Prism Venture Partners co-founder John Brooks III joined the firm as senior adviser.
• R.J. O'Brien & Associates brought in Jeffrey Bauml from BNP Paribas SA in New York.