ABN AMRO is looking to hire about seven professionals for its new high-yield team in London, including experts in trading, research and capital markets. James Courtenay, head of European high-yield and leveraged finance, says it makes sense to add headcount now. "This is a good time of year to be building out our franchise and we are being shown a lot of opportunities as a bank that we would like to respond to as quickly as possible," says Courtenay, adding he hopes to have a team by the summer. He was recently hired from CIBC World Markets with a mandate to build ABN AMRO's European high-yield capability from scratch.
Courtenay will also head up the firm's existing 25-person strong leveraged finance team, which ranks in the top 10 in regional league tables. He says the firm is likely to make additional hires for this but notes, "ABN AMRO has a very strong investment-grade bond desk in London and it's important to first understand the strengths and weaknesses of our existing structure."
At CIBC, Courtenay spent five years building the firm's position in European corporate and leveraged finance. While there, he reported to Paul Rogers, head of corporate and leveraged finance for North America.
