Bank of America Merrill Lynch (NYSE: BAC) — The New York investment bank hired Winston Cheng to be head of technology, media and telecommunications. Cheng, who will be based in Hong Kong, was previously the head of Goldman Sachs Group's Inc. (NYSE: GS) technology segment and also headed the bank's consumer retail unit for regions in Asia, with the exception of Japan. Before joining Goldman, Cheng spent more than 10 years at Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C).
Duff & Phelps — The New York investment bank appointed Dafydd Evans (pictured) as a managing director of European M&A. Based in the firm’s London office, Evans has more than 13 years of corporate finance experience across both M&A and restructuring within the European industrials sector. Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, Evans worked at Close Brothers Corporate Finance, operating as DC Advisory. During that time, he completed a number of transactions, including the sale of Napier Turbochargers to Wabtec Inc. in February; the sale of Hampson Industries to American Industrial Partners in November; the acquisition of Ascometal SA by Apollo Global Management LLC (NYSE: APO) in October 2011. Prior to that, he spent two years on the corporate finance team at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for six years.
J.H. Chapman Group LLC — The Chicago investment bank, which focuses on the food sector, announced the retirement of co-founder Howard Bernstein. In 1982, along with two others, Bernstein formed J.H. Chapman Group to focus on middle-market food investment banking activities. The firm went on to add five other co-founding partners and open an office in Paris. During Howard's tenure at J.H. Chapman, he completed a variety of transactions for the firm's clients, including joint ventures and the sale and purchase of family-owned businesses. Bernstein, a certified public accountant, began his career at his father's firm, Sidney Bernstein and Co. In 1973, he co-founded and served as chief executive of the Bernstein and Bank Ltd. accounting firm, which served small and medium-sized clients in Chicago. He sold the firm in 1982.
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP — The Philadelphia law firm poached a total of eight lawyers from Gide Loyrette Nouell for the Moscow office. The group will be led by partners Konstantin Kochetkov and Grigory Marinichev. They will be joined by six associates: Marina Bolyasnikova, Alexey Chertov, Alexander Geda, Kristina Markova, Anastasia Mikhailova and Evgeny Rodionov.
Paul Hastings LLP — Sherrese Smith is set to join the New York law firm as a partner. A specialist in data security, content, and digital technology issues, Smith joins the firm’s telecommunications, media and technology practice in Washington, D.C. She was most recently chief counsel to the Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski. Prior to that, she was general counsel at Washington Post Digital.
Perella Weinberg Partners LP — The New York advisory firm hired Brian Silver as a partner. Silver, an investment banker for about 20 years, specializes in health care M&A. He was most recently a managing director in Morgan Stanley’s health care investment banking group, where he worked on such deals as New York University’s sale of its worldwide royalty interest in Remicade to Royalty Pharma for $650 million in 2007; the Carlyle Group LP (Nasdaq: CG)and Hellman & Friedman’s $3.9 billion acquisition of Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc. in 2011; Mylan Inc.’s $1.6 billion acquisition of Agila Specialties Private Ltd. in February; Quintiles Transnational Holdings Inc.’s $1.1 billion initial public offering in May.
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