$26bn manager opens Dubai office and adds two senior US investor relations pros

Pretium Partners has added three senior investor relations pros as it looks to capitalise on recent hiring activity in its investment team, PCFI has learned.

The $26bn alternative credit manager has hired Jamal Saab to open a new Dubai office, as well as adding US-based investor relations pros Ralph Canada and Katherine Plavan in managing director-level roles. A spokesperson for Pretium confirmed the hires.

The new hires come hot on the heels of a string of new additions to Pretium’s investment team, with the firm beefing up its residential credit team and launching a new litigation finance strategy over the summer.

Saab, who will run Pretium’s new Dubai office, joins after a seven-and-a-half-year stay at PineBridge, where he was responsible for building out its Middle East and North Africa business development strategy. Before that, he spent nineand-a-half years in a similar role for Natixis Global Asset Management, sitting on the firm’s international strategic committee.

Meanwhile, Canada will be responsible for Pretium’s investor relations efforts in the western region of the US. He joins after a two-year stay at Partners Group, and previously spent six years in the IR team at Ares Management, latterly serving as a partner at the firm.

Finally, Plavan will serve as managing director in the strategic accounts team. Plavan, who is based in New York, was most recently head of investor relations at real estate investment firm Amherst Holdings. Earlier in her career, she spent seven years at hedge fund MKP Capital, latterly as a partner.

“We are excited to welcome such exceptional business development professionals as Jamal, Ralph and Katie,” said Jennifer Strickland, head of business development at Pretium. “With their talents, we look forward to better serving institutional investors.”

The hires come shortly after a string of senior hires in Pretium’s investment team, which has seen the firm launch a new litigation finance strategy and add to its residential credit team.

In June, PCFI reported that the firm had brought in Charles Schmerler and John Salomon as senior managing directors in a newly created legal, regulatory and process investments unit.

The pair will report to Matt Cantor, who joined Pretium last year as a senior managing director focusing on distressed and distressed credit.

Meanwhile, last month saw Pretium announce the hires of Goldman Sachs’ Sarah Kong, Fortress Investment Group’s Andrew Miller and Cadwalader’s Peter Morreale, all of whom joined the firm’s residential credit team.

The firm previously announced the hires of Matt Johnston and Kyle Mitts, who joined in March as managing directors focusing on investments in the single-family rental and build-to-rent industries.

by James Harvey
j.harvey@pcfi.global

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