JP Morgan has made a number of changes to its senior management across Asia-Pacific in a move to implement 'a more integrated approach' for its investment banking franchise. The changes mark part of the US investment bank's efforts to align Asia-Pacific with its US headquarters, where product and coverage have a strong collaboration, and includes the appointment of new heads of equity capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.
Daniel Darahem has been named head of equity capital markets for Asia Pacific and will continue as head of the strategic investors' group and equity private placement for the region. Darahem will have responsibility in the region from origination to structuring on equity and debt capital markets transactions, including structured private placements and public offerings, as well as corporate finance advisory across products, sectors and markets, including credit-linked market solutions. Darahem was previously co-head of equity capital markets for the Americas.
Nick Johnson, most recently head of equity capital markets for Asia Pacific, is moving to a coverage role within global investment banking , with responsibility for Hong Kong, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
Kerwin Clayton and Rohit Chatterji have been named co-heads of mergers and acquisitions for Asia Pacific, while Mac El-Omari has been appointed vice chairman of global investment banking for the region, based in Hong Kong. El-Omari was most recently head of consumer & retail, investment banking, Asia.
Brian Gu has been appointed chairman of Asia-Pacific investment banking. Gu was previously co-head of mergers and acquisitions, telecoms, media and technology and healthcare and China client coverage in the bank's financial institutions group for Asia Pacific. Prior to JP Morgan, Brian was a vice president in the mergers and acquisitions group at Lehman Brothers in New York.
Other changes include the appointment of Murli Maiya, former head of financial institutions coverage for Asia Pacific and formerly regional head of debt capital markets, as co-head of global investment banking coverage for the region, alongside John Hall.
In addition, Sudhir Goel will become head of debt capital markets for the region, expanding his existing debt capital markets and sales responsibilities. Goel was most recently head of debt capital markets for Asia ex-Japan. He succeeded Maiya as head of emerging Asia debt capital markets in addition to his responsibilities as head of country sales and marketing, markets and investor services for Asia ex-Japan.
The rejig follows the hiring of Ronny Dharma, who joined JP Morgan as an executive director, equity derivatives trader in Hong Kong, reporting to Yowjie Chien, head of warrants trading and marketing for JP Morgan Asia. Dharma joined from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was a director in flow and exotic stock trading for Asia covering clients' relationship in collaboration with sales and structuring, a role that included advising clients on investment needs and providing solutions, as well as building functionalities and capabilities of the bank's internal quoting system for market making on warrants, listed options and callable bull bear contracts.
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