Cowen has added four senior executives to its Global Alternative Equity Strategies team.
The aim is to grow the firm’s advisory business in event-driven investing and catalyst-driven situations.
All new team members have previously worked with Mark Kelly, the new Global Head of Alternative Equity Strategies. All of them joined Cowen from Olivetree Financial.
Based in London, the team operates within Cowen Execution Services Limited (CESL) and will work closely with the Markets team in the US.
Cowen Execution Services Limited (CESL) is a trading platform providing execution services in more than 100 markets worldwide over a full range of multi-asset capabilities.
The focus is advising specialist arbitrage funds and large pension funds, as well as issuers in how to navigate complex event-driven investment opportunities and catalyst-driven special situations.
Tarquin Orchard was appointed Managing Director, having joined Cowen from Olivtree Financial, where he was a Managing Director with almost 20 years’ experience in event-driven investing, including for RBC Capital Markets, Dresdner Kleinwort, NSBO and Seaport Europe Ltd.
Sebastian Greensmith joined as Director, Sales Trader after 10 years in event-driven investing. Besides Olivetree, Mr. Greensmith has worked at Oppenheimer Europe Ltd and NSBO.
Charlie Hawkesworth was appointed Director, Sales Trader after eight years of event-driven investing experience. Alastair Mankin was named Vice President, Event-Driven Analysis & Sales after five years at Olivetree.
Matt Cyzer, Chief Executive Officer of CESL, said, “The appointment of Mark and his team is in line with the firm-wide strategy of building our business around areas of expertise that differentiate us. Leveraging the expertise of this specialist team, the broader investment community can gain significant value from in-depth understanding of the events and specialist situations, which can materially impact their investment performance.
“We are delighted to welcome Alastair, Tarquin, Sebastian and Charlie to Cowen. Under the leadership of Mark, they built a formidable business together, with an outstanding reputation in event-driven investing. Given the experience and track record this team now brings to Cowen, our ambition is to become the global leader in this space, with a client base consisting of the world’s biggest investors. We are very excited at the significant growth opportunities they bring to the firm.”
Mark Kelly, Managing Director and Global Head of Alternative Equity Strategies, added: “Cowen is absolutely the right fit for our team in terms of its culture and shared values. In addition, Cowen’s independence in London, strong relationships with the long fund community, client diversity and complementary products and services in the US make it the ideal home for us. The combination of our expertise and contacts with the resources of Cowen is very powerful. I am confident that with the team we have in place, the Alternative Equity Strategies division at Cowen can be the lead advisor for the global market in event-driven investing.”
