SYDNEY & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BTIG Australia Limited announced today the opening of its new Melbourne location. The Melbourne office will allow the firm to increase its client reach and better position itself to support the objectives of clients in the region. Drew Forrest and Joe Mahony join BTIG in Melbourne as Managing Directors, and Lee Mitchell joins as a Director.
Today, BTIG serves corporate and institutional clients across major financial centers in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. The Melbourne office marks the firm’s second in Australia and 20th worldwide. BTIG began its expansion into Asia-Pacific more than a decade ago opening its Hong Kong and Sydney affiliates in 2008, followed by Singapore in 2009 and Japan in 2021. BTIG Australia Limited’s offices in Sydney will continue to serve as its headquarters and center of operations in Australia.
Initially, Mr. Forrest and Mr. Mahony will be responsible for building out the Asia-Pacific leg of BTIG’s Global Portfolio Trading and ETF Trading businesses. They bring close to 25 years of combined experience with two of the largest and most sophisticated asset owners in the region, Victorian Funds Management Corporation and AustralianSuper. Mr. Forrest and Mr. Mahony were hands-on in managing the trading and execution of their respective funds during a period of rapid growth and transformation within the superannuation industry. Australia is the 4th largest pension fund market (by assets) globally.
Mr. Mitchell will draw on his experience within the region, partnering with BTIG’s clients that focus on event-driven strategies and special situations. The firm’s Melbourne-based professionals will operate as an extension of BTIG’s existing sales and trading coverage team in Australia. “We are confident that the opening of our Melbourne location will create new opportunities for clients and the firm throughout Asia-Pacific as well as our offices worldwide. Our presence in Melbourne will broaden our client reach across the region and the rich experience of our Melbourne-based professionals will provide uncompromised client alignment,” said Andrew Dalgleish, Co-Head of BTIG Asia-Pacific and Chief Executive Officer, BTIG Australia Limited.
“Given Drew, Joe and Lee’s experience, we expect they will have a positive impact on our business and better position us to support the objectives of clients in the region,” said Richard Jacklin, Chief Operating Officer of BTIG Securities. “By expanding the resources available to clients, we will enhance local coverage and help drive growth throughout Australia and beyond.”
Mr. Forrest served as Portfolio Manager and Dealer at Victorian Funds Management Corporation for 18 years. Earlier in his career, he spent time with National Australia Bank and Credit Union Services Corporation Australia Limited (CUSCAL).
Mr. Mahony most recently was a Senior Manager within Trading and Execution at AustralianSuper. Previously, he was Director within Institutional Sales at UBS. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mahony was a Vice President within Portfolio Trading at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Prior to BTIG, Mr. Mitchell was a Director within Event-Driven Sales Trading at Société Generale. Previously, he was Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SKX at Smartkarma Innovations and the Director of Global Special Situations at Religare Capital Markets. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mitchell was the Director of Global Special Situations at Aviate Global (Asia) and Head of Sales Trading at Churchill Capital.
About BTIG
BTIG is a global financial services firm specializing in institutional trading, investment banking, research and related brokerage services. With an extensive global footprint and more than 700 employees, BTIG, LLC and its affiliates operate out of 20 cities throughout the U.S., and in Europe, Asia and Australia. BTIG offers execution, expertise and insights for equities, equity derivatives, ETFs and fixed income, currency and commodities (futures, commodities, foreign exchange, interest rates, credit, and convertible and preferred securities). The firm’s core capabilities include global execution, portfolio, electronic and outsource trading, transition management, investment banking, prime brokerage, capital introduction, corporate access, research and strategy, commission management and more.
Disclaimer: https://www.btig.com/disclaimer. To learn more about BTIG, visit www.btig.com.