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by Baz Hiralal
Rothschild's Laurence Grafstein will join UBS Investment Bank as a managing director and co-head of Americas mergers and acquisitions alongside Marc-Anthony Hourihan, an 18-year UBS veteran who has co-headed the M&A group since last year. Working from New York, Grafstein will report to investment banking chairman for the Americas, Steve Cummings.
At Rothschild, Grafstein had been co-head of Americas M&A and was most recently an executive vice chairman. He was previously co-head of technology, media and telecommunications at Lazard and global head of telecom at Credit Suisse Group.
He advised Comverse Technology Inc. on its pending $800 million merger with Verint Systems Inc. and its spinoff of Comverse Network Systems; Sprint Nextel Corp. on the restructuring of its relationship with Clearwire Corp.; Level 3 Communications Inc. in its $3 billion merger with Global Crossing Ltd.; Creative Artists Agency on its strategic partnership with TPG Capital; and the governments of Canada and Ontario on their investments in General Motors Co. and Chrysler Corp. during the financial crisis.
Barclays plc appointed Cedric Lizin as head of the independent asset managers segment, Asia Pacific. The new segment is based in Singapore. Lizin is also head of Japan, and head of key clients, APAC.
Last month, the firm hired Annabelle Chow as director and team head, as well as Josephine Koh as a director. They came in from Credit Suisse Group.
Fund manager Global Infrastructure Partners said James Cleary, former president of El Paso Corp.'s Western pipeline group, joined the firm to focus on investments involving natural gas, crude oil and other liquids pipeline assets. He will be joined by Thomas Price and Pat Johnson, who were part of the pipeline executive team at El Paso, and Derek Wedel, who had been a senior engineering and construction manager at El Paso. Initially, they will work from Colorado Springs.
Private equity firm TA Associates said Ethan Liebermann and Emily McGinty have rejoined the firm as vice presidents in the healthcare and consumer group in Boston. They had both left the firm to earn M.B.A.s. Also, Jason Mironov joined TA as a vice president in the services group in Menlo Park, Calif. Earlier, he was an associate with Spectrum Equity Investors.
KPMG LLP made five additions to its alternative investment funds practice. Ted Carreiro joined as a federal tax partner in Boston. He was formerly a managing director at State Street Bank and Trust Co. Laura Thompson joined as a managing director in the international tax practice in Boston from Bain Capital LLC, where she was vice president of the general partner group. Prior to Bain, she spent more than a decade leading the international tax function at Wellington Management Co.
Angela Yu is a partner in the U.S. real estate tax practice in New York. Prior to this, she was an international tax partner with KPMG's Washington national tax practice and Vancouver U.S. tax planning practice.
Michael T. Richards joined as a partner to lead KPMG's transaction services practice on the West Coast, focused on private equity clients. Prior to this, he was a partner in the mergers and acquisitions practice at Deloitte. He also spent three years as a principal at Fremont Partners. Phillip DeSalvo is a senior manager for tax, specializing in private equity.
PwC US hired Marc-Philip Ferzan for its U.S. forensic services practice as a managing director. He was previously part of the executive leadership team at the New Jersey Attorney General's office.
PwC also tapped Laurie Schive for its U.S. forensic services practice as a director in McLean, Va. Schive was director of outreach at the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive.
Separately, Dominic Ricketts was appointed leader of PwC's Canadian transaction services practice, based in Toronto. Ricketts was a partner in the U.S. transaction services business in New York. He joined PwC in London in 1989 and was named to the partnership in 2000.
Partners Donald Griswold and Walter Nagel, formerly with Reed Smith LLP, joined Crowell & Moring LLP to counsel on state and local tax matters, including mergers and acquisitions, state tax planning, and audit defense and litigation.
John Richter, formerly vice president and deputy general counsel at WellCare Health Plans Inc., is rejoining King & Spalding LLP as a partner in its special matters and government investigations practice in Washington, effective Sept. 4.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced that Peter Vogl joined the firm as a partner in its intellectual property practice, resident in New York.
Vogl joins Orrick from Jones Day, where he was co-leader of the global trademark, unfair competition and copyright group. Earlier, Vogl was with Pennie & Edmonds, where he helped orchestrate Pennie's combination with Jones Day in December 2003.
CMF Associates LLC took on Kevin Ryan as a director in the firm's financial and operational consulting group, specializing in systems and business transitions, due diligence and forensics, and financial planning and analysis.
He worked in public accounting (audit and forensics) at KPMG LLP and Deloitte.
Clippings from the next column:
-- Nomura Holdings Inc. names Jai Rajpal as global head of foreign exchange, and Rig Karkhanis as head of fixed income, Asia ex-Japan.
-- Evercore Wealth Management LLC hires Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s Jordan Szekely as a vice president and financial adviser.
-- Phoenix Group Holdings appoints former FSA chair Howard Davies as chairman, succeeding Ron Sandler.
-- FocalPoint launches environmental services industry vertical; names Bart Begley as industry coverage leader.
-- Olivetree Financial Group Ltd., an equity brokerage and technology firm, appoints Charlotte Wall as global head of product sales in London and New York.
Partners Donald Griswold and Walter Nagel, formerly with Reed Smith LLP, joined Crowell & Moring LLP to counsel on state and local tax matters.
