BNP Paribas announces that it is strengthening its Corporate Finance set-up, the CIB (Corporate & Investment Banking) business line, which comprises M&A Advisory and Equity Capital Markets (ECM) activities.

Within Corporate Finance, a new dedicated team for the Europe, Middle-East, Africa (EMEA) region has been created. Under the name “Corporate Finance EMEA,” this new division will include another newly created unit, M&A EMEA, which has been formed to spearhead the group’s mergers & acquisitions activities in the region and work closely with the ECM teams in the origination of initial public offerings.

Sophie Javary was appointed head of Corporate Finance EMEA. She also became deputy head of the Corporate Finance business line and joins the BNP Paribas CIB Executive Committee. Javary brings her experience as managing director of the BNP Paribas Investment Banking Europe division, where since 2011 she has been in charge of a portfolio of major strategic clients. Her main mission at Corporate Finance EMEA will be to increase BNP Paribas’ market share with its large European clients and to reinforce the bridges between EMEA and the other regions so as to develop further cross-border M&A business.

Eric Jacquemot and Luis Sancho are appointed co-heads of the new M&A EMEA unit. Jacquemot joined BNP Paribas Corporate Finance in 2002. Based in London, he was most recently in charge of Corporate Finance for the Middle-East, Africa and Turkey region. Sancho joined BNP Paribas in 2008 in Madrid, where he served as managing director in Corporate Finance, a role in which he managed relations with a number of major clients.

Alain Dib retains his position as head of Equity Capital Markets (ECM) for the EMEA region. ECM activities remain one of the two main growth areas for Corporate Finance. Alain reports to Thierry Olive, global head of ECM, and will also report to Sophie Javary within the EMEA region.

Thierry Varène, BNP Paribas group head of Investment Banking Europe and Corporate Finance, said, “Corporate Finance is a key business for BNP Paribas, especially given its ability to raise the profile of our client franchise and help position other Group business lines around the strategic operations in which it is involved. This move to strengthen our set-up constitutes an important initiative to serve better our clients, against the general background of globalization of the markets, which is leading to more and more cross-border M&A deals and continuing growth in operations between regions.”

The new organization and related appointments will take effect as of January 1, 2014. Javary’s appointment to the CIB Executive Committee is effective immediately.