Barclays has appointed Stephen Stewart, a Former TD Securities executive, as the Head of M&A Execution for Canada. In a statement published today (Friday), the company said this hire aims to reinforce the bank's commitment to the region and brings a wealth of experience and leadership that promises to elevate its M&A operations across Canada.

Investment Banking Expert

Stewart joined Barclays from TD Securities, where he spent over 15 years honing his investment banking skills, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. At TD, Stewart held the position of Managing Director at M&A and was instrumental in a series of landmark transactions.

His notable achievements reportedly include advising on high-profile deals such as Nuvei's US$6.3 billion take-private by Advent International and Neighbourly Pharmacy's $1.2 billion take-private by Persistence Capital Partners.

Stewart was also responsible for advising Dream Global REIT on its $6.2 billion sale to Blackstone and Thomson Reuters on its $27 billion sale of Refinitiv to the London Stock Exchange. His leadership is expected to be a driving force in the continued growth of Barclays' Canadian M&A operations.

Barclays expects Stewart's experience and deep client relationships to enhance its Canadian M&A platform and complement its broader Americas and Global M&A businesses. His dual reporting line to Ryan Voegeli, the Head of Investment Banking for Canada, and Dan Grabos, Head of Americas M&A, underscores his pivotal role in the bank's North American strategy.

Expanding Services in Canada

The hire of Stephen Stewart is part of Barclays' broader strategy to invest in its Canadian platform. Geoffrey Belsher, the Chairman and Country Chief Executive Officer for Canada, emphasized the importance of this addition, stating: “This hire is further evidence of our unwavering commitment to Canada, and the addition of Stephen to the team will help us to further build upon our strong momentum.”

Meanwhile, TD Securities selected Paxos Settlement Service last year for Commodities in an initiative to adopt blockchain Blockchain Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned). In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data, making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tamp Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned). In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data, making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tamp Read this Term technology for trade settlements. This partnership reportedly marked the first instance of concurrent cash and commodity trade settlements using TD Securities in traditional and digital precious metals markets.