OREANDA-NEWS. April 18, 2011. Renaissance Capital, the leading emerging markets investment bank, has appointed Sheldon Trainor as Chairman of its Asia business.

Mr. Trainor will play a major role in shaping Renaissance Capital's strategy in the Asia region, with a specific focus on the wider natural resources sector (energy, metals, mining and agriculture).

Mr. Trainor has over 20 years’ banking experience in Asia. In 2009, he established PacBridge Capital Partners, a boutique advisory and principal investment firm focused on the natural resources sector in Asia. Prior to PacBridge, Mr. Trainor was head of investment banking at Merrill Lynch Asia, where he was also a member of the Pacific Rim Regional Operating Committee. This followed 11 years at Morgan Stanley, where Mr. Trainor was responsible for building the bank’s General Industries Group into one of the leading award-winning franchises in Asian banking.

Stephen Jennings, Chief Executive of Renaissance Capital, says, “Sheldon brings a wealth of both Asian investment banking and natural resources experience to Renaissance Capital’s Asian offering, and we are delighted to have one of the region's most senior investment bankers join our team. I have no doubt that Sheldon will play a key role in helping us grow our advisory and principal investment business across Asia, identifying opportunities and creating value for our clients.”

Mr. Trainor adds, “This role presents an exciting opportunity to be an integral part of Asia’s strengthening links with the emerging markets in which Renaissance is present. Regions such as the CIS and Africa are immensely rich in natural resources, and China is fast becoming the world’s largest consumer of such commodities. Through its offices in Hong Kong and Beijing, Renaissance Capital is well positioned to leverage its dominance in these regions and sectors and bring them closer to China. Through its experience in advising and raising capital for natural resources clients from emerging markets, as well as its capabilities as a significant principal investor in the sector, Renaissance is also uniquely qualified to help clients in markets such as Indonesia and Mongolia. I look forward to working with the Renaissance team.”

Renaissance Capital and PacBridge have entered into a business cooperation agreement, covering both corporate advisory and principal investment.