OREANDA-NEWS. March 22, 2012. Renaissance Capital, the leading emerging markets investment bank, has continued to build-out its Asia equity research team, hiring two further regionally based analysts with extensive sector experience.

Brad Way has been appointed as Oil & Gas Equity Research Analyst. Based in Beijing, his coverage includes the large-cap oil sector in Mainland China, and regional exploration and production. Way joins from BNP Paribas in Beijing, where he was Associate Director and Head of Asia Energy Research. Prior to that, he worked as an Investment Banking Associate with a focus on the energy sector, and as a Research Associate in Energy, Utilities and Materials for the US-China Business Council, in Beijing. Way’s arrival builds on Renaissance Capital’s established research franchises in Russian oil & gas, African and Iraqi exploration & production, and South African resources – further strengthening its global emerging markets oil & gas footprint.

In addition, Michael Ng has joined Renaissance Capital as a Metals & Mining Analyst, working alongside Matthew Whittall, Head of Global Metals & Mining Research, and Metals and Mining analyst Leavitt Pope, in Hong Kong. Ng joins from Bloomberg, where he worked as a Metals & Mining Research Analyst.

“China’s position in the energy sector remains paramount, as it is the engine of demand growth and corporate activity, especially in Africa and the Middle East,” said Ed Mason, Head of the Asia Equities Products Group at Renaissance Capital. “With Brad’s wealth of experience, thought-leading thematic research and local market knowledge, we will continue to seize the opportunities in these regions and strengthen our global oil & gas footprint.”

Jeremy Sparrow, CEO of Renaissance Capital Asia, added, “Renaissance’s continued hiring and expansion of research coverage reflects the emphasis we are placing on Asia. I am delighted with the quality of the team we have put together since we set up in Hong Kong in 2010. Our deep focus on the sectors where we have significant expertise will serve our clients well.”

Renaissance Capital currently has a team of 12 dedicated to sales, research and trading across the Asia region. The Firm recently initiated coverage of the Indonesian coal sector with a major country overview, and provides continuous coverage of the region’s China Polymetallic Mining, Mongolia Energy Corporation and Hunnu Coal, as well as Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group, among other stocks.