THE DEAL: Movers & Shakers

Date: 12-Oct-2011

By Baz Hiralal

Peter J. Solomon Co. hired Craig E. Barnett as a managing director, covering financial investors and asset managers and developing PJSC's international business. Barnett, who has known chairman Peter Solomon for 25 years, began his career at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., where over a 10-year period he handled mergers and acquisitions and financings in New York, London and Tokyo.

Barnett joined Blackstone Group LP in 2004 as a managing director and was a senior member of its advisory committee. He also acted as Blackstone's liaison with international affiliates in Japan and Sweden. Barnett was also a managing director at Bear, Stearns & Co.

In Houston, Moelis & Co. appointed Scott DeGhetto as a managing director in the power, utility and renewable energy sectors. He was co-head of the power and renewable energy group at Credit Suisse Group. Prior to that, DeGhetto worked at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., where he was a managing director in the power and pipeline group in the investment bank. Previously, he spent more than seven years as a managing director in the global utilities group at UBS.

Denis Fabre joined Blackstone Group LP as a senior managing director in London, responsible for the European healthcare franchise for Blackstone Advisory Partners. He was a managing director in healthcare investment banking at UBS Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank AG and Bear, Stearns & Co., which he joined in 1998. He has also worked at Bankers Trust and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Crescent Capital Group launched an investment strategy, focusing on credit opportunities across Europe from the firm's new office in London. Christine Vanden Beukel joined as a managing director to lead Crescent Credit Europe LLP. She will work closely with Louis Lavoie of Crescent Consulting SARL, who will continue to lead its mezzanine offerings in Europe.

Vanden Beukel was a senior managing director in the London office of private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC. Previously, she was a senior managing director in the London office of GSC Group, a credit-focused alternative asset manager. She led its European mezzanine lending and collateralized corporate debt activities.

New York merchant bank Raine Group LLC, focused on entertainment, digital media and sports, closed its first investment fund with about $475 million.

Media banker Glenn Schiffman joined the firm as a partner. Schiffman was head of investment banking in the Americas for Nomura Holdings Inc. and had been its head of investment banking for Asia-Pacific. Prior to Nomura, Schiffman spent 17 years at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., having been global head of the media group and, later, head of investment banking for Asia-Pacific.

Sherri Williams was named managing director for private placements and capital markets. Williams joins from Montgomery & Co., where she helped build the private placement business.

Raine also announced three additions to its advisory board: Miky Lee, chairwoman of Korean media and entertainment company CJ Group; Steven Newhouse, chairman of Advance.net, the Internet strategy arm of Condé Nast's advance publication division; and Theo Kyriakou, CEO of Antenna Group, a broadcasting company in Greece. Previously announced advisory board members include Tom Freston, former president and CEO of Viacom Inc.; Peter Chernin, former chief operating officer of News Corp.; and Masayoshi Son, founder of Softbank Corp.

Alvarez & Marsal opened an office in Athens. Spyros Martsekis joins as a managing director and head of A&M Greece. Martsekis joins from KPMG's Athens office, where he was deputy general manager and country head of corporate finance and private equity advisory. He has also worked at HSBC Private Bank and Morgan Stanley.

Also working in Greece is Nils Melngailis, co-head of A&M's European financial services group. He advises banks and governments on restructuring strategies in Eastern and Southern Europe.

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