StanChart Extends Buildout with DCM Hire

Standard Chartered has hired Rodrigo Gonzalez, a former Dresdner origination banker, as a director in charge of DCM for LatAm, extending a substantial buildup in its LatAm fixed income business. Gonzalez transferred with Dresdner to Sao Paulo in early 2008 and most recently assisted Commerzbank in its attempt to divest the Dresdner Brazil unit it acquired later that year. Gonzalez will report to Steve Aloupis, head of capital markets for the Americas, in charge of loans, syndications and DCM. Aloupis says Brazil will be an important focus for the burgeoning DCM group. It should enjoy the support of a lending and syndications platform that has historically had a particularly strong track record in financial institutions coverage, as well as trade finance and correspondent banking. Loan market coverage will expand to support DCM origination, say StanChart executives. Following the arrival from Lehman last year of Mohammed Grimeh, head of global markets for the Americas at StanChart, the UK bank announced in October it had hired Michele Nicoletta to head credit trading for the Americas, Harvey Black as head of investor sales and Nilson Strazzi as head of bank sales. Both were joined by additional staff. Alexis Lasser also joined at the time as head of illiquids and private placements. Russell Ashcraft runs the bank’s bond syndicate.