William P. Henson joined Grail Partners as a partner and head of the firm's New York office, said Tucker Hewes, spokesman for Grail. Mr. Henson will be in charge of Grail's merchant banking activities and will have primary responsibility for the firm's balance sheet, new investments and oversight of existing investments in portfolio companies. It is a new position. Grail, an advisory merchant bank focused on the investment management industry, was launched in February by Donald H. Putnam. Mr. Henson came from MRP, a startup specialty finance company that he founded in 2004; and before that he worked with Mr. Putnam at Putnam Lovell Securities between 1996 and 2003.
Reuben Jeffrey III was sworn in yesterday as a commissioner and the 10th chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Mr. Jeffrey's replaces James E. Newsome, who left to head the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Jeffrey will complete Mr. Newsome's five-year term, which expires April 13, 2007. Mr. Jeffrey, a lawyer by training who was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, was most recently special assistant to President George W. Bush and the senior director for international economic affairs at the National Security Council.
John Ring joined Brinker Capital as managing director of retirement plan services, said Noreen Beaman, executive vice president of strategic planning. It is a new position. Mr. Ring will lead Brinker Capital's retirement product and service initiatives, developing an offshoot of Brinker Capital's Destinations managed mutual fund program for defined contribution plans, said Ms. Beaman. Mr. Ring was a senior vice president of retirement services at Delaware Investments. Christina Ward, Delaware Investments spokeswoman, did not return calls by press time seeking comment.
Peter Martenson is the new division director of Macquarie Funds Management, and Eric Becker and Rick Fratus were hired as associate directors. All three are new positions and will be located in Southern California. Macquarie's private equity team now has nine members, with the other six located in Sydney. Messrs. Martenson, Becker and Fratus left Pacific Corporate Group earlier this year just before the consulting firm underwent a reorganization.