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Merril Lynch Interview
 September 20th, 2006Merrill Lynch rebuilds Aussie franchise < Australia > Interviewer : Cherie Marriott Interviewees : Paul Masi (CEO of Merrill Lynch in Australia) Paul Masi is returning to his native Sydney to become country head and CEO of Merrill Lynch in Australia. He has spent the last three years as regional head of equity markets and trading in Asia based in Hong Kong. Now the task of re-establishing the Merrill name in Australia lies ahead. Here he explains how he plans to tackle the challenge. What would you term Merrill Lynch’s deal of the year in Australia in 2006?
Clearly 2006 isn’t over yet! Our advisory role to Telstra in the T3 sale is a standout role for us this year. Other important advisory roles include the successful defence of Wattyl in a hostile takeover bid and advising Queensland Rail on the joint purchase with Babcock and Brown of the assets of Australian Railroad Group from Wesfarmers and Genesee-Wyoming. Will you be making any changes to your team in Australia? No. I’ve been blessed with a very experienced team. All our business heads have extensive knowledge of the market and good contacts. The one area that we will boost is FICC (fixed income, currency and commodities) and we will probably be hiring some people in this discipline. The thing that continues to surprise me about the Merrill Lynch franchise in Australia is the strength of our ancillary businesses like margin lending and securities lending. We clear for 22 brokers, which is a fact that many people aren’t aware of. FinanceAsia.com |
