Mesirow Expands Alternatives Business

Chicago-based Mesirow Financial International said it hired John Collins and Dermot Kegan for London-based roles within its alternative investments subsidiary, Mesirow Advanced Strategies.

Collins joins the firm as a senior analyst focused on European hedge fund manager research. He was a senior investment consultant at Watson Wyatt, leading research on multi-strategy funds as a member of the global long/short equity team.

Keegan will lead Mesirow's UK and continental Europe client coverage group. He was head of the institutional marketing and client service group of Old Mutual Asset Managers.

Martin Kaplan, CEO of Mesirow Advanced Strategies, said that the additions help the firm better serve the UK and continental Europe region that represents "a significant and growing segment of Mesirow Financial's global client base."

Mesirow Advanced Strategies manages more than $16 billion in total assets and has four full-time investment professionals in London, along with more than 90 professionals in Chicago. Mesirow Financial opened a London office in 2007.