Phoenix Partners Group, an interdealer broker, has formed institutional equity sales and trading team with offices in New York, London and Paris.
As the initial part of this expansion, Phoenix Partners Group has hired Robert Samuels, most recently an executive director and senior analyst covering the specialty retail sector at Oppenheimer. Mr Samuels previously covered the apparel, footwear and sporting goods sector and specialty retail sector at JP Morgan. He will provide research coverage with an initial focus on retail.
Christian De Berardinis, most recently an executive director of equity sales at Oppenheimer. He previously worked in equity sales at JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Banc of America Securities. Michael Block, most recently a managing director and head of trading at Exis Capital. Previously he was head trader at Magnetar Capital and Sandell Asset Management. David Redling joined Phoenix Partners Group 18 months ago to establish the firm’s presence in cash equity execution. All the three will launch sales and trading.
Nicholas Stephan, a co-founder and CEO of Phoenix Partners Group, said: “Mr Samuels has distinguished himself as one of Wall Street’s top specialty retail analysts, and Phoenix Partners Group is committed to ensuring him a conflict-free environment to cover his sector independently and objectively.
“Mr De Berardinis and Mr Block have broad experience on both sides of the spectrum in equities, and we are excited about them joining Phoenix Partners Group to apply their skill set and knowledge to generate actionable ideas, identify catalysts and provide first-class service to their clients. Mr Redling already is steeped in Phoenix Partners Group’s culture of unparalleled client service and dedication.”