Prebon Yamane snares rival's forwards brokers

Simon Mirza joins as head of the euro forwards desk, starting today, reporting to Andy Farrington, divisional managing director, forex and cash. Derek Thomas and Raeffer Govoni will join in Aussie/Kiwi forwards.

"We are confident that Simon will be able to further develop our already strong market presence in the euro FX market," Prebon said in a statement released last week. A company spokeswoman added that Thomas and Govoni's hires are further evidence of Prebon's "determination to invest in developing its forwards business".

A spokeswoman at RP Martins in London refused to confirm the former positions of Mirza, Thomas and Govoni at the firm, nor whether they have been replaced.

However, broking industry sources told RiskNews' sister publication FX Week that Mirza managed RP Martins' euro desk.

The RP Martins spokewoman also refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding Mirza's departure, saying only it was a "personal matter".

Prebon recently won Risk magazine's top ranking for broking currency forwards in dollar/yen, while RP Martins scooped the top position for broking dollar/euro forwards.