Macquarie names ECM head for Asia

AustraliaÆs Macquarie group has appointed Mark Warburton as head of equity capital markets in Asia, to spearhead the expansion of the ECM business in the region. Warburton last held the position of head of equity syndication for the group, a role he has held since 2006.

In his new role, Warburton will relocate from Sydney to Asia and report to Andrew Low, MacquarieÆs head of corporate finance in Asia.

ôOur business continues to grow at a very strong pace with more than 100 new hires in the last six months,ö says Low. ôWith Mark's breadth of experience in corporate finance, ECM and equities, he is ideally placed to take our ECM business in Asia to the next level.ö

Warburton is a veteran at Macquarie. He joined the Australian firm in corporate finance in Sydney in 1994 then moved to the groupÆs equity capital markets division in 1997. He has worked on a variety of equity deals and has led a number of these, including the initial public offerings of Promina, Boart Longyear, Macquarie Media Group, Seek, InvoCare, Salmat, Wotif.com and Austereo, as well as secondary issues or selldowns for Qantas, Macquarie Infrastructure Group, Macquarie Goodman, Orica, Incitec Pivot, Caltex Australia and Powerco.

A couple of months ago, Low had said that the bank was targeting growth specifically in India, China and Japan, where he sees quantum opportunities for business in Macquarie's focus areas.

The groupÆs third-party equity capital marketsÆ revenue doubled year-on-year in 2007. During the same period, Macquarie BankÆs net profit surged 60% to A$1.463 billion ($1.219 billion), attributable in large part to increased activity in Asia.