Commerzbank hires Johnson

Michael Johnson has joined Commerzbank’s newly-formed Financial Sponsors Group, known as Commerzbank Securities (ComSec).

Johnson joins ComSec from Nomura Principal Finance Group where he was transaction director responsible for originating and executing private equity transactions.

During his time at Nomura, he led several transactions, including the purchase of the First Quench retail chain of 2,600 stores from Whitbread and Punch and the purchase of a portfolio of approximately 1,000 pubs from Bass plc, which became the Voyager Pub Company.

Previously, Johnson was managing director, head of leveraged finance, for DLJ in Europe, where he built a 40-strong team of professionals to form its fully integrated leveraged finance groups.

Prior to that Johnson was head of leveraged finance at Credit Suisse First Boston in New York.

At ComSec Johnson will help develop and manage ComSec’s financial sponsor coverage business. Commerzbank Securities hired Matthew Roeser in June to lead this initiative. Roeser said: “We see significant scope to expand our financial sponsors business in Europe and Michael’s joining will accelerate these efforts”.