Mark Cobley

07 February 2006

Financial News - Print and Online

Nicolas Wirz, head of Morgan Stanley's European equity distribution and director general of its Paris arm, has left to join Carlton Capital Partners, the fledgling asset management arm of advisory boutique Carlton Financial.Sir Francis Mackay, chairman of UK catering group Compass, has also joined the group as a non-executive vice-chairman, effective immediately.

Wirz, who has worked for Morgan Stanley for 11 years, will take up his role as partner and a member of the executive committee at Carlton Capital Partners in March.

He will take responsibility for the firm's European business.

In August, Carlton Capital Partners hired another senior equities banker, Olivier Haguenauer, head of equity sales in the UK and France at brokerage Exane BNP Paribas.

He was an architect of the merger between Exane, the French brokerage, and the equities business of BNP Paribas.

Wirz will now work alongside Haguenauer.

Carlton Financial has two divisions: Carlton Corporate Finance and Carlton Capital Partners.

Carlton Capital Partners launched its first fund, Ribot, at the end of 2005. It draws on third party managers under the direction of an in-house research team.