New appointee had been instrumental in high-profile transactions
In a bid to enhance its presence in the Canadian market, Barclays Plc has appointed Stephen Stewart head of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) execution for Canada.
Stewart, a seasoned banker with over 15 years of experience at Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD), will be based in Toronto, leading the Barclays’ M&A operations in Canada. He will report to Ryan Voegeli, Barclays’ newly appointed head of investment banking for Canada, as well as Dan Grabos, the bank’s chief of Americas M&A.
Stewart’s career includes pivotal roles in several high-profile transactions, according to a Bloomberg report. Most notably, this year, he advised the special committee of Nuvei Corp. on its $6.3 billion sale to Advent International. His expertise was also instrumental in Thomson Reuters Corp.’s sale of a majority stake in its financial and risk unit to Blackstone Inc. in 2018, and the subsequent sale of that business to the London Stock Exchange Group Plc.
In addition, Stewart advised George Weston on the spin-out of Choice Properties from Loblaw and Choice Properties on the $6 billion acquisition of Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust, according to a company statement.
“[Stewart’s] expertise across key sectors and his leadership capabilities will be of significant value to our clients and to Barclays,” said Voegeli.
“This hire is further evidence of our unwavering commitment to Canada, and the addition of Stephen to the team will help us to further build upon our strong momentum,” said Geoffrey Belsher, Barclays’ chairman and country chief executive officer for Canada. “We are the leading bulge bracket firm in Canada and are committed to continuing to invest in our platform to enable us to deliver for our Canadian clients and to bring Canada to the world.”
Operating for almost 100 years in Canada, Barclays offers a range of services including investment banking, global markets services, and research coverage. The appointment of Stewart comes as part of the bank’s broader strategy to revitalize its team following the departure of Canadian head Bruce Rothney and several other staff members to Jefferies Financial Group Inc. last year.
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