Press Release: April 14, 2005
WR Hambrecht + Co Opens London Office,
Names Ahmed Tabaqchali Head of International Institutional Sales
San Francisco, CA, April 14, 2005—WR Hambrecht + Co, who pioneered the use of IPO auctions with OpenIPO(R), continues to expand its operations with the opening of a UK branch in London. London is the firm’s sixth office and the first outside the United States. Ahmed Tabaqchali joined WRH+Co in January 2004 and will head the International Institutional Sales effort for the firm from the London office as well as from New York.
“Ahmed has spent his career representing US firms in London and we are extremely pleased that he will be leading our expansion in Europe,” said Bill Hambrecht, Chairman and Co-CEO of WR Hambrecht + Co.
Clay Corbus, Co-CEO of WR Hambrecht + Co, said, “We have been doing an increasing amount of business in London and the time is right for the firm to have a permanent home there. We are fortunate to be able to utilize Ahmed’s wealth of experience to extend our brand.”
Mr. Tabaqchali joins WR Hambrecht + Co from McDonald Investments in London where he was Managing Director charged with international sales. Prior to McDonald, Mr. Tabaqchali had equity sales, research and capital markets positions at Jeffries International and Dean Witter International. He received Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degrees at Canterbury and Victoria Universities in New Zealand and a Master of Sciences in Mathematics at Oxford University in the UK.
“The traditional world of investment banking is changing rapidly and WR Hambrecht + Co has been at the forefront of innovation. This firm is an exciting place to be and I am privileged to be a part of the team,” said Ahmed Tabaqchali, Managing Director of WR Hambrecht + Co. “I look forward to building on the firm’s successes in the US to further penetrate the European markets.”
About WR Hambrecht + Co:
WR Hambrecht + Co (www.wrhambrecht.com) is an investment bank committed to using technology and auction processes to provide open and fair access to financial markets for all its clients. The firm’s impartial Internet-based auctions, which allow the market to determine pricing and allocation, have dramatically changed the financial services landscape. WR Hambrecht + Co provides underwriting and advisory services for technology and emerging growth companies, as well as equity research, sales and trading, full-service and online brokerage and private equity offerings for institutions and individuals. WR Hambrecht + Co is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Philadelphia. The firm has financial backing from industry leaders including American Century, Crimson Ventures, epartners, Fidelity Ventures, Instinet Corporation, Novell, Park Avenue Equity Capital Partners, LP, Scudder Kemper, Texas Pacific Group, and W Capital Partners.
