Alternative investment manager Citadel Investment Group has announced two senior hires from Merrill Lynch to lead the firm's capital development efforts in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Tobias Gehrke and Anita Nassar, who join Citadel as co-heads of international distribution and marketing, were most recently co-heads of government institutional sales at Merrill, which was acquired by Bank of America on Sunday.

'Tobias and Anita have an exceptional track record when it comes to expanding a global franchise and delivering results,' says Citadel chief operating officer Gerald Beeson. 'They bring experience, expertise and institutional knowledge that will be critical as we continue to grow multiple businesses on an international scale.'

Nassar, who joined Merrill in 2006, was head of central banks and sovereign wealth funds. She was previously head of central bank and government sales at HSBC covering Asia, Europe and the Americas, and earlier she was head of corporate sales at Crédit Commercial de France in Paris.

Gehrke joined Merrill in 2004 and led the government institutions group for the firm's equities and alternatives businesses, working with sovereign pension and wealth funds. Mr. He was previously active in equity derivatives sales at Goldman Sachs from 1998 to 2004.

Citadel is a global alternative investment manager employing 1,400 professionals in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Bermuda, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo.