Lazard Hires From Rival in Asia Expansion

Investment bank Lazard has poached an Australian rival for its Southeast Asia M&A business as it expands into the booming region.

The U.S. bank announced on Tuesday it had appointed Glenn Porritt as a Managing Director and Head of Singapore Investment Banking.

Mr. Porritt was previously at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, where he was Head of Asian M&A in Singapore. Before that, he spent four years at KPMG in Hong Kong in the corporate finance division.

ANZ advised Singaporean commodities trader Wilmar International Ltd.'s acquisition of Australian sugar mill Sucrogen in 2010 for $1.1 billion, according to Dealogic. Lazard advised Sucrogen.

In a statement, Antonio Weiss, Lazard's Global Head of Investment Banking, said the appointment is in response to continuing growth in M&A in Southeast Asia.

Read the Complete Story at WSJ's Deal Journal.