Barclays Capital builds up Asian business

Barclays Capital has been aggressively expanding its Asian business, with the hiring of senior staff across all asset classes.

Covering interest rates and foreign exchange, David Shannon joins in the newly created position of managing director and head of rates for the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Singapore, Shannon will be in charge of fixed-income, money markets, foreign exchange and emerging markets across the region. He will also join the Asia-Pacific management committee, reporting to Robert Morrice, chairman and chief executive, Asia-Pacific.

Shannon joins from Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), where he was responsible for swaps and exotics in Hong Kong and Sydney, as well as Japanese government bonds, repos and derivatives in Japan.

The bank has also hired Akio Kashima to head its foreign exchange business in Japan. Previously general manager of the foreign exchange division at Mizuho Corporate Bank, Kashima will focus on building up Barclays’ forex business with Japanese clients, both in Japan and internationally. He joins as a managing director.

Meanwhile, Barclays has signalled its intention to be a major player in the equity derivatives space, with a spate of appointments across the globe. In Asia, the bank has hired Francis Ragusa as a director in equity products for Japan. Based in Tokyo, he will be responsible for Japanese equity options, reporting to Dixit Joshi, head of equity derivatives. Ragusa was previously at CSFB until 2002, where he held the same role.

Covering the Asia ex-Japan equity derivatives markets, Nicolas Cohen-Addad joins as a director from Crédit Lyonnais in Hong Kong, where he ran its equity derivatives business. In his new role, he will relocate to Tokyo, reporting to Joshi. Also in Asia, Susan Chan has been snatched from Bear Stearns to be director in equity derivatives structuring. Based in Hong Kong, she will report to Hassan Houari, head of equity derivatives structuring.

Finally, the British bank has hired Jeff Boey to join its investor solutions group to cover clients in Asia. He will be based in Hong Kong, and reports to Wayne Breeze, head of investor solutions, Asia. He was previously with Merrill Lynch.

The bank hired Eric Slighton in the newly created role of managing director, head of Asia-Pacific credit derivatives earlier this year.