Fitch Ratings announced several new global and regional group heads for its financial institutions and structured finance analytical groups.
Kevin Duignan has been appointed global group head for financial institutions, based in New York. A 25-year veteran of Fitch Ratings, Duignan has held a variety of senior roles, most recently serving as global head of structured finance and covered bonds. He replaces David Weinfurter.
Marjan van der Weijden, an 18-year veteran of the company based in London, Is taking over Duignan’s former role as global group head of structured finance and covered bonds,
Both appointments are effective Sept. 1 and will report to Brett Hemsley, Fitch's global analytical head.
In a newly created role, Nathan Flanders has been appointed global head of non-bank financial institutions (NBFI). During his 18-year career at Fitch, Flanders has held senior analytical roles in the financial institutions, fund and asset management, structured credit, financial guarantors and ABS groups. Based in New York, he will report to Duignan.
In addition, Mark Young has been appointed Head of NBFI for EMEA and APAC. Reporting to Flanders, Young returns to London from Singapore where he was Head of Financial Institutions, APAC for six years.
Rui Pereira and Susanne Matern have been appointed head of structured finance, North America and head of structured finance EMEA, respectively. Pereira, based in New York, and Matern, based in Frankfurt, will report to Marjan van der Weijden.
"Since the global financial crisis, we have seen rapid growth in the rated universe of NBFIs and significant increases in the size and importance of the NBFI sector, both in terms of number of rated issuers and volumes of bonds sold into the market,” Hemsley said in a press release. “As a result, now is the time to create a dedicated group to focus exclusively on analysis, research, ratings and criteria development for the NBFI asset class."
