Jefferies, an investment banking firm, has appointed Erez Biala as a managing director and global co-head of collateralized loan obligation (CLO) and collateralized debt dbligation (CDO) trading.

Mr Biala will partner with Sharif Anbar-Colas, global co-head, in managing the firm’s CLO/CDO trading business within the broader Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities (MBS/ABS) group.

Mr Biala joined Jefferies with nearly 10 years of experience in the structured markets, from Barclays Capital, where he was a member of the distressed special situations trading effort. Previously, he focused on CDO trading and origination for five years at Lehman Brothers. Prior to that, he worked in Morgan Stanley’s CDO origination team.

The firm’s MBS/ABS Group, part of the fixed income division at Jefferies, now includes approximately 100 sales, trading and origination professionals in the US, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Tim Cronin, global head of fixed income at Jefferies, said: “We are pleased to welcome Erez to Jefferies and believe his broad experience and strong relationships will significantly extend Jefferies’ reach and add value to our clients globally. This hiring further extends the scope of our global fixed income business.”

Johan Eveland and William Jennings, co-heads of the global MBS/ABS group at Jefferies, said in a joint statement: “We continue to build out Jefferies’ asset-backed trading effort globally, and Erez’s knowledge, experience and relationships in trading CLOs and CDOs will make an immediate contribution to the firm’s leading platform.”