Five senior investment bankers at Nomura in the U.S. have just jumped to competitors

Nomura’s U.S. operation flip-flops between expansion and contraction. Most recently, it said it’s hiring, but this follows a series of layoffs already in 2016. Senior investment bankers are leaving regardless.

Matthew Upton, who was a managing director in Nomura’s global TMT investment banking group in New York, has just relocated to San Francisco to join Mizuho Securities. He’s head of software investment banking there.

Richard Eisenberg, who was head of media investment banking and joined in 2013 when Nomura was bolstering its investment banking business in the U.S., has also left to head up TMT investment banking at SMBC Nikko Securities.

Colin Cropper, who was a managing director and head of Nomura’s automotive investment banking division, has moved to RBC Capital Markets to take the same role. Christina Park, who was an MD in acquisition and leveraged finance at Nomura, has also moved into a senior role at RBC.

Mark Liggett, who was also a managing director in Nomura’s leveraged finance division, left in September to join Ares Capital.

Both Upton and Park had short stints at Nomura. Upton joined in May last year and departed in October 2016, while Park joined in August 2015 and left in July this year.

In March, Nomura announced that it was cutting jobs in the U.S. and its 250-strong headcount fell to around 150 people. However, in August its chief operating officer Tetsu Ozaki said that it had room to hire 20 more investment bankers, largely in M&A. That target may have just got bigger.

Contact: pclarke@efinancialcareers.com