Mizuho Hires Credit Suisse DCM Veterans Bhatia, Lavino

Mizuho Financial Group Inc.’s Americas arm hired Credit Suisse Group AG debt capital markets dealmaker Nevin Bhatia and investment-grade syndicate specialist Katie Lavino, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

(Bloomberg) — Mizuho Financial Group Inc.’s Americas arm hired Credit Suisse Group AG debt capital markets dealmaker Nevin Bhatia and investment-grade syndicate specialist Katie Lavino, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Bhatia, who’s based in New York, will join Mizuho as a managing director in the Japanese lender’s debt capital markets group after a period of garden leave — or mandatory time away from the industry before joining a competing firm. He’ll report to Moshe Tomkiewicz, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. Lavino, a managing director also based in New York, will also join after garden leave, some of the people said. 

Representatives for Mizuho and Credit Suisse declined to comment.

Bhatia and Lavino, who joined Credit Suisse in 2006 and 2008 respectively, are among numerous executives exiting the Swiss lender, which is grappling with retaining talent following its emergency rescue last month by UBS Group AG. 

During his almost 17-year career at Credit Suisse, Bhatia worked on financing deals that supported 7-Eleven’s $21 billion acquisition of Speedway gas stations, and Coca Cola European Partners’ purchase of Australian bottler Coca-Cola Amatil.  

Lavino has worked on transactions including Enbridge’s inaugural sustainability bond offering as well as deals for Bank of New York Mellon Corp., Capital One Financial Corp. and Charles Schwab Corp.

Mizuho separately hired Credit Suisse’s global co-head of leveraged-finance origination and restructuring, Jeb Slowik, Bloomberg reported in March. 

(Updates with Lavino’s transactions in sixth paragraph.)

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