OREANDA-NEWS. February 18, 2010. Renaissance Group today announces a number of steps to strengthen its senior management team and position the bank to take advantage of the significant growth opportunities in key emerging markets in Emerging Europe, Africa and Asia.

Nick Andrews has been appointed Global Head of Equities at Renaissance Capital and will run the Firm's already market-leading equities business and contribute to our international expansion, particularly in Asia. Andrews has an impeccable track record in cash equities and derivatives, equity capital markets and global emerging markets. He joins from JPMorgan in Hong Kong, where he has been Head of Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets Equities since 2005, overseeing 600 front office staff across 13 countries. He joined JPMorgan in 2002 as Head of Asia Equity Capital Markets. Prior to that he was Head of Equity Capital Markets for Non-Japan Asia at Credit Suisse First Boston.

Ashar Qureshi joins as Executive Vice Chairman of Renaissance Group. Qureshi's responsibilities will include international client development, participation in key transactions and initiatives and assistance in the development of the Firm's strategy and policies. He will also have responsibility for general oversight of risk and the transaction management group as well as legal and compliance. A partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton since 1999, Qureshi contributed to the build-up of its sovereign and privatization advisory work in Europe as well as the firm's expansion into the Middle East and South Asia.

Mark Harris joins as Global Head of Compliance. Harris was previously with Lehman Brothers, most recently as Managing Director and Head of Compliance for Europe and the Middle East. Harris spent more than a decade at Lehman, managing compliance for Europe as well as Russia, Turkey and the Middle East. Earlier in his career, he spent four years at Credit Lyonnais SA as Compliance Manager covering the European and US financial futures and options markets as well as commodities and commodity derivatives.

Michael Schulz has been appointed Global Head of Risk. Schulz most recently ran the Risk function at the Hong Kong hedge fund CQS, and previously had seven years of senior risk management experience at Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo. Prior to Lehman, he spent four years at Credit Suisse First Boston where he was responsible for all emerging markets fixed income trading activities.

These new hires follow the appointment late last year of Kevin Hillgren as Group Treasurer. Hillgren was previously at Credit Suisse First Boston for 10 years, including five years as International Treasurer. He also brings emerging markets experience, having worked in Asia for a decade while at CSFB and Bank of America.

These hires come on the heels of Renaissance Capital's recent announcement of an alliance for cross-border mergers and acquisitions advisory work with Kotak Investment Banking, India's premier investment bank, and the formation of a strategic partnership with UK corporate finance specialist Strand Hanson to focus on London's AIM market. Last month, Renaissance Capital announced new senior hires to its metals and mining team, as it builds out market-leading practices in metals & mining and oil & gas across the emerging markets.

Stephen Jennings, CEO Renaissance Group, said:

"Renaissance Capital has set itself the strategic goal of becoming the premier full service investment bank in the emerging markets time zone from the Russian Far East to West Africa, building on its market-leading positions in the CIS and Africa. To support those ambitions, we are putting in place world class management with a track record of managing global scale businesses and an entrepreneurial drive to build businesses.

"Future growth in investment banking will come from the emerging markets, and in particular from the integration of the major emerging markets and gradual disintermediation of the West. The scale of the opportunity for a bank with deep local roots across key emerging markets and world class management and infrastructure is enormous.

"Nick Andrews is an exceptionally talented banker and manager. He brings with him not just a wealth of operational experience in equities, but also deep knowledge of the Hong Kong and greater Asian markets which will serve us well as we continue our expansion."

Nick Andrews, Global Head of Equities at Renaissance Capital, said:

"I am very excited to be joining Renaissance Capital at this time in its development. The Firm is already an acknowledged leader in key emerging markets and I believe we can accelerate growth by winning even greater market share alongside geographic and product expansion."