Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Strengthens Its Global Footprint in Healthcare Investment Banking and Equity Research

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., a leading global financial services firm, today announced its continuing global expansion in investment banking and equity research businesses with a series of senior appointments including Geoffrey Harris as Co-Head of Cantor's Healthcare Investment Banking Group.  Mr. Harris, formerly of Gleacher & Co., will report to Steven Kantor, Executive Managing Director and Global Head of Investment Banking, and will co-head the Healthcare Group with Robert Dentice. In addition, Cantor announced several other key hires, including four bankers and five equity research analysts.  

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The healthcare sector is a core focus area for Cantor. Cantor's investment banking provides a full range of capital raising and advisory services to its clients including public and private debt and equity capital markets, leveraged and asset-backed finance, as well as mergers and acquisitions and restructuring advisory. With the additions to the equity research team, Cantor will provide coverage of several healthcare sectors including specialty pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life science tools, medical technology and diagnostics, as well as healthcare services including payors and providers.  

Shawn P. Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. said, "These appointments demonstrate our efforts to aggressively expand our investment banking and research platforms throughout key markets around the world and underscore our unrivalled ability to attract top talent in a volatile marketplace.  We have tremendous opportunity to capitalize on current market conditions by continuing to provide first-class financial solutions to our clients across these businesses."

"Geoff's significant experience in investment banking in the healthcare sector will be immensely important to the firm as we capitalize on strategic opportunities in the coming year," said Mr. Kantor. "Geoff and the members of the banking and research team are great additions to Cantor and reflect our ongoing commitment to expand our global healthcare footprint."

Mr. Harris said, "This is an exciting time to be joining Cantor as Co-Head of Healthcare Investment Banking along with Bob Dentice. We've seen a significant spike during the third quarter in venture capital funding and M&A activity which underscores the substantial opportunity in the healthcare space. With this expanded team, I look forward to helping to capitalize on these opportunities and driving the continued success of the group."

"The addition of Geoff and his banking team is a strategic step in furthering the success of Cantor's healthcare banking effort," said Mr. Dentice. "I am delighted to work with these talented bankers and look forward to the continued growth of our group."

Mr. Harris most recently served as Managing Director at Gleacher & Co. where he focused on the healthcare industry assisting companies with capital raising and M&A. Prior to Gleacher & Co., Mr. Harris was a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Jefferies Asset Management and at Sirios Capital Management. Earlier, Mr. Harris was the Global Head of Healthcare Research at UBS Warburg. Mr. Harris holds a BA in Economics from Oberlin College and an MS in Management from the Sloane School of Management at MIT.

HEALTHCARE INVESTMENT BANKERS

David Reed joins Cantor Fitzgerald from Gleacher & Co., where he served as a Managing Director focusing on M&A in the healthcare sector. Prior to Gleacher & Co., Mr. Reed was a Managing Director at Robertson Stephens as well as PaineWebber where he served as Group Head of M&A. He holds a BA in Economics from Princeton and an MBA from Columbia University.

Veet Misra joins Cantor from Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, where he served as a Vice President in Life Sciences Investment Banking. Prior to that, Dr. Misra was a Vice President in Healthcare Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets. He holds a BS in Microbiology and Immunology from Dalhousie University, an MBA from York University's Schulich School of Business, and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Toronto.

Angus Smith joins Cantor from Gleacher & Co., where he served as a Vice President in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group. He holds a BA in Mathematical Economics from Colgate University.

Carl Balouzian joins Cantor from Gleacher & Co., where he was an Associate in the Investment Banking group. He holds a BA in Economics from Colgate University.

HEALTHCARE EQUITY RESEARCH ANALYSTS

Joseph France joins Cantor from Gleacher & Co., where he served as a Managing Director covering the healthcare services and managed care sectors.  Mr. France has more than 20 years of experience covering hospitals, managed care and related services and has been recognized by Institutional Investor 13 times during his career.  Previously, Mr. France held senior positions at Smith Barney, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Bank of America Securities.  At Cantor, Mr. France will cover the Healthcare Services sector. Mr. France holds a BS in Pharmacy and an MBA from the University of Kansas.

Sung Ji Nam joins Cantor from Gleacher & Co. where she was a Senior Analyst covering the Life Science Tools sector. Prior to Gleacher & Co., she worked for an equity research team at J.P. Morgan covering Life Science Tools, Diagnostics, Contract Research Organizations, and Small to Mid-cap Medical Devices. At Cantor, Ms. Nam will cover the Life Science Tools and Diagnostics sectors.  Ms. Nam holds a BA in Chemistry and an MBA from Harvard.

Jeremy Feffer joins Cantor from Gleacher & Co. where he was an Equity Research Associate focused on the Medical Devices and Medical Diagnostics sectors. At Cantor, Mr. Feffer will cover the Medical Devices sector. Mr. Feffer holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Chicago and an MBA from New York University.

Irina Rivkind joins Cantor from Duncan-Williams where she was a Senior Research Analyst responsible for the Specialty Pharmaceutical sector. Previously, Ms. Rivkind covered the Specialty and Large Cap Pharmaceutical sectors as an associate at UBS. She has a decade of industry experience, including positions with Forest Laboratories and Ajinomoto Pharmaceuticals.   At Cantor, Ms. Rivkind will cover the Specialty Pharmaceutical sector.  Ms. Rivkind holds a BA in Biology from Cornell University, an MS in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine from the University of Maryland, and an MBA from New York University.

Mara Goldstein joins Cantor from Thomson Reuters where she served as Director of Research for Reuters Insight. Ms. Goldstein was initially responsible for the firm's healthcare research practice and later assumed responsibility for all research activities and sectors. Prior to that, Ms. Goldstein was an Executive Director and Senior Pharmaceutical Analyst at CIBC World Markets. At Cantor, Ms. Goldstein will cover the Biotechnology sector. Ms. Goldstein also worked at Alex Brown & Sons and CS First Boston. She holds a BS in Economics from Purdue University.

About Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald, a leading global financial services firm at the forefront of financial and technological innovation, has been a proven and resilient leader for over 65 years. Cantor is continuing to grow its capital markets and investment banking businesses. Serving more than 5,000 institutional clients around the world, Cantor is recognized for its strengths in institutional equity and fixed income sales and trading and for its expanding presence serving the middle market with investment and merchant banking services, prime brokerage, and commercial real estate financing.  Cantor Fitzgerald also is a leader in new businesses and marketplaces including gaming technology, e-commerce, and other ventures. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is one of 21 primary dealers authorized to trade U.S. government securities with The Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  Cantor Fitzgerald's 1,400 employees serve clients through 30 locations, including major financial centers around the world in the Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific, and the Middle East.  For more information please visit www.cantor.com.

Note to Editors: Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. is the parent entity of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

SOURCE Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.