Capital Markets Team

Specialty Finance

Edward Cahill.  Mr. Cahill is responsible for the European business at Cohen & Company. He has nearly 20 years experience in the European securitization markets.  He has raised asset backed debt for various entities in most major European jurisdictions over the years – and has been involved in debt raises totalling over Euro 200 billion. Previously, he ran the CDO business at Barclays Capital.  Prior to that he ran ABS and CDO trading at JPMorgan in London.  He started his career as a CDS trader and structurer at UBS. Edward has a Bachelor of International Commerce from University College Dublin.

Darlene Bain.  Ms. Bain is focused on European and U.S. structured credit transactions.  She has worked in various structuring and marketing roles in the structured products space since 2002 both in the U.S. and UK. Prior to joining Cohen & Company, Darlene worked for New York based Varadero Capital, raising capital for its various funds, including the firms structured credit hedge fund.  In 2011, Darlene worked for Societe Generale New York, in the bank’s Credit / Structured Credit Cross Asset Solutions Sales group. Prior to Societe Generale, Darlene worked for Channel Capital Advisors in London brokering primarily bank loan, P3 and infrastructure loans. In 2003, she joined the Structured Products Group at Barclays Capital London.

Sales Advisory

Michele Del Bo.  Mr Del Bo is responsible for advising financial institutions in the management and disposal of alternative investments including distressed assets as well as other non-core assets, leveraged loans, real estate, shipping, infrastructure loans, liquidation and bankruptcy claims, and unlisted equity.  Through the years he has originated, structured and sold various alternative investments opportunities to major hedge funds focused on credit and special situations.  Michele has 20 years of experience in financial services in both analytical and origination/sales senior roles having previously worked at Macquarie Bank, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley and Moody’s.  He holds an MBA from CASS Business School and a Bachelors degree in Economics and Business from Universita’ di Roma, La Sapienza.

Saleem Arif.  Mr. Arif is a Managing Director and is responsible for originating and executing trades in illiquid assets. He specialises in sourcing portfolios of bonds, loans, ABS and legal claims from banks and institutions and placing them with specialised credit funds and private equity firms. In addition, he has responsibilities within European Investment Banking for originating, structuring and distributing transactions. Prior to Cohen & Company, Saleem was a Senior Vice President within the Special Finance Advisory Group at Deutsche Bank, specialising in the workout and restructuring of the Bank’s distressed portfolio. Prior to that, he held positions at Barclays Capital in European Syndicated & Leveraged Loans origination, structuring and distribution, Credit Restructuring & Advisory and Leveraged Finance. He holds a BSc in Economics and a Masters degree in Banking & Finance from Loughborough University.

Investment Banking

Sherjeel Khan.  Mr Khan is a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Group.  Prior to joining Cohen & Company, Sherjeel was co-founder of SCap Limited, a boutique advisory firm with a focus on real estate, infrastructure and healthcare sectors across Europe and the Middle East. Previously, he served as Managing Director and started the European operations of RAIT Financial Trust, a publicly traded commercial mortgage REIT, where he originated and structured capital markets transactions for European real estate companies. Before moving to London in 2006, Sherjeel served as Senior Vice President at RAIT’s New York offices structuring debt and hybrid capital for US equity, mortgage and specialty finance REITs and real estate companies. Prior to RAIT Financial Trust, Sherjeel was a Vice President in the real estate investment banking group of Cohen Bros. & Company. Sherjeel started his career at Banc of America Securities within the high yield restructuring group and holds a BS in Commerce and Economics from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

Legal & Compliance

Richard Hepworth.  Mr. Hepworth is the Chief Operating and Compliance Officer of Cohen & Company Financial Limited. Prior to joining Cohen & Company Financial Limited, Richard worked as Compliance Officer for Lazard Capital Markets (previously Sonas Partners), an Agency Brokerage specialising in Distressed and Financial debt, where he helped to establish the business. Richard has nearly 20 years experience in the finance industry, and has a background in Bank Loans having worked at a number of buy and sell side institutions. His roles have ranged from Loan Settlements at Bluebay Asset Management, Infrastructure project management for Loan Derivatives (TRS and CLO) at Bank of America and management of the Prime Brokerage Loan Closing team at Deutsche Bank.

Nathalie Ghnassia.  Mrs. Ghnassia joined Cohen & Compagnie in 2005 as corporate counsel. In September 2011, she was appointed as the Compliance Officer of CCFL until July 2012 and is now overviewing the compliance for Europe. Prior to joining Cohen & Compagnie, she worked from November 2004 to October 2005, as an associate at Mayer Brown, LLP in Chicago, United States of America, in the Banking and Finance Department. There, Mrs. Ghnassia worked drafting and finalizing operative and ancillary banking contracts for various issuers and coordinated closings and post-closings of many collateral debt securities transactions. Prior to that, she worked at UBS Securities (France) SA in the Financial Control Department. Mrs. Ghnassia holds a Bachelor of Business Law and a Master in International Business Law from the Sorbonne (Paris).