Merrill Lynch loses two equity derivatives staff in Hong Kong

Merrill Lynch has lost John Robson, a managing director responsible for the bank’s Asia-Pacific structured products business, to Nomura, where he will head the firm’s equity derivatives sales effort in Asia.

At Merrill Lynch, Robson focused on the structuring and distribution of equity derivatives products to private banking and retail clients. Before that, he worked for both Bank of America and Merrill Lynch in London as a fixed income derivatives trader.

In his new Hong Kong-based role, he reports to Joachim Willnow, head of equity derivatives in London, Tomoyuki Teraguchi, head of equities, and Hiroyuki Nishikawa, head of fixed income Asia.

Joining him is Terence Tan, an associate in global equity-linked products at Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, who joins Nomura in the sales department.

Meanwhile, in London, the Japanese firm has appointed Sanjeev Joshi, who joins as a director from ABN Amro, where he was head of legal for equities and equity derivatives; and Khizer Ahmed and Manfred Schraepler, who join as vice-presidents in product development from Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank respectively. All three report to Michael Fullalove, head of product development.