George Wang's APP Securities is said to have appointed Sangeeta Venkatesan as chief executive to help beef up its corporate finance operations.
The appointment follows a difficult period for APP after the broking and advisory firm suffered several high-profile departures in the second half of 2016 and struggled to win deal mandates.
Venkatesan joined APP parent AIMS Financial late last year as group chief operating officer. Prior to that she was head of renminbi and China solutions at Commonwealth Bank and also had stints at firms including Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers.
Wang, AIMS' chairman and chief executive, has stepped down as a director of APP as a result of Venkatesan's appointment to the board, sources said.
As it seeks to replenish its ranks, APP has also hired Troy Sullivan as head of execution services and institutional sales. His last position was at Moelis.
APP's deal list includes working on the float of telecommunications provider United Networks, which listed this month.
Exits from APP in the latter half of last year included corporate finance director Adam Blumenthal and Melbourne-based adviser Chris Forte.
