Investment bank-based index traders are being targeted by hedge funds and energy trading firms as they look to cater for increased investor interest in opportunities across the commodities markets, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Sussex Partners, a global investment advisory firm that specialises in hedge funds and alternative investment asset classes, has appointed Kanji Kikuchi as a Partner to support the firm’s outreach in the Japanese market.   Sussex Partners has been engaged with Japan since the firm’s inception in 2003 and is a strong supporter of local market hedge funds and the alpha opportunity they represent.   Kikuchi joins Sussex Partners from Credit Suisse Securities in Tokyo where he was Head of Fund Solutions for the firm’s private banking clients. Prior to Credit Suisse, Kikuchi worked in alternative investment sales and structured solutions

Drawbridge, a cybersecurity software and services firm specialising in the needs of hedge fund and private equity managers, has appointed Nick Pastoressa as its new chief product & technology officer to oversee the company’s technology strategy and platform evolution, and lead both the product and technology teams.

Metaco, a provider of digital asset custody and orchestration technology, has appointed a number of key executives to its leadership team, to address increased demand for institutional digital asset services. Former global head of digital asset infrastructure at IBM, Peter DeMeo, joins the company as chief product officer, overseeing the product roadmap planning and lifecycle execution of Metaco’s suite of software and infrastructure solutions for institutions, and also responsible for setting up the company’s digital asset advisory practice which provides strategic direction and consulting to the business and to its clients. Having created IBM’s digital asset key management practice going

Daniel McNeill, the former head of AM derivatives at JPMorgan in London has become the latest managing director to jump ship and defect from the investment bank to London-based multi-strategy hedge fund Millennium, according to a report by eFinancial careers. The appointment of McNeill, who will reportedly soon be installed as Millennium’s new risk chief operating officer based in London, comes hot on the heels of Millennium’s capture of another former JPMorgan MD, Jack Yang, who last month took up a credit strategy role based in New York. Millennium has also made other former-bank executive appointments, including Cagdas Aksu, Barclays’

The PRI is inviting its signatories to join its Hedge Funds Advisory Committee (HFAC). The committee is looking to add six to 10 members who have experience of different sectors of the hedge fund industry, including asset owners, investment managers and service providers. The PRI’s Investment Practices team takes an asset class-specific approach to support signatories’ implementation of the six Principles. Each programme is supported by a signatory-led advisory committee which helps the PRI create and implement strategies for: outreach and industry engagement; clarification on how ESG relates to risks and opportunities; highlighting examples of best practices; and supporting implementation

Capital markets fintech Clear Street is adding derivatives to its menu of prime brokerage offerings, and has hired Thomas Bonville to spearhead the effort. Bonville reports to the Global Head of Distribution, Patrick Travers in his new role as Managing Director, Head of Derivative Sales.  Prior to joining Clear Street, Bonville served as the Head of Sales, Managing Director at Macro Risk Advisors for more than a year and spent eight years running equity derivatives sales at Wells Fargo and 15 years in senior equity derivative sales roles at Nomura, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs.    Clear Street offers

CPR AM, a subsidiary of Amundi, has promoted Bastien Druit to head of research and strategy effective, 1 February 2023. Previously, he was responsible for the firm’s Thematic Macro-strategy, a role he held since 2021, having first joined the firm as 2018 as Senior Economist/Strategist, in charge of the US economy and monetary policy monitoring.

Hong Kong-based value investing specialist Value Partners Group Limited has appointed Sean Chang as co-chief investment officer, fixed income, to work alongside alongside existing co-chief investment Officer, fixed income, Gordon Ip.  CHANG and IP will both be responsible for leading the fixed income team to create and manage high quality investment solutions for our clients. Both of them will report to Louis So, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Investment Officer of the Group. Chang joins Value Partners from Ping An of China Asset Management (Hong Kong) Company Limited, where he was most recently Head of Fixed Income for the company. Ip will