Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Says the Firm Plans to Hire More Research Analysts

Shawn Matthews, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, says the financial services firm plans "to add additional industry verticals and to continue to strengthen our research capabilities."

In a statement released today, Matthews said the "growth of our U.S. Equity Research platform is focused on market moving segments such as Internet and Media, among other key sectors."

Those comments were included in a press release announcing that Cantor has hired former Jefferies Managing Director Youssef H. Squali as head of its Global Internet and Media Research, which is the same title he held at Jefferies.

Squali, a top-ranked analyst, will report to David Toti, head of U.S. Equity Research at Cantor.

Two other analysts, Naved Khan, formerly of Jefferies, and Kip Paulson, formerly of RBC Capital Markets, are also joining Cantor as vice presidents and research analysts supporting Mr. Squali in building the firm's Internet and Media research platform.

"Hiring Youssef and his team is a key element of the expansion of Cantor's Equity Research platform and highlights our ability to continually attract seasoned professionals with deep industry knowledge and unrivaled experience," said Matthews.

The latest hires follow recent statements by Matthews that Cantor plans to increase its global workforce of 8,000 by 10 percent over the next few years through a combination of hiring and acquisitions.

In an interview with Businessweek, Matthews said the New York-based firm is expanding in asset management and investment banking, looking at regions including South America and Eastern Europe. “We’re just looking to get bigger and better at the things we do,” Matthews told Bloomberg, adding that the firm would be adding 200 employees this year.