Former Lehman general counsel joins MF Global

MF Global has hired Christopher Moore as its first ever general legal counsel for Asia-Pacific, continuing an aggressive regional ramp-up by the broker-cum-alternative fund manager.

Splitting his time between Hong Kong and Singapore, Moore will look after all legal aspects of MF Global's business in the region. He reports to Laurie Ferber, the firm's general counsel, and to Mike Blomfield, managing director of Asia-Pacific.

Moore had been working previously as a managing director and special adviser to Nomura's Asia chief executive. He inherited that job by virtue of a six-year stint at predecessor firm Lehman Brothers, Nomura having acquired all of the US bank's Asian staff after the Lehman collapse in September 2008.

During Moore's Lehman era, comprising two separate stints at the firm, he worked as Asian general counsel in both Tokyo and Hong Kong, alongside legal experts such as Ed Papantonio and Robyn Grew. During his time at the bank he also headed the compliance, transaction management and internal audit functions.

Moore had also previously held senior legal and compliance roles with Bear Stearns, BNP Paribas and Ernst & Young.

In July, MF Global recently entered into a partnership with Koscom in Korea to offer the trading of overseas futures to South Korean investors.

Last autumn, we reported that MF Global was inaugurating a new CTA strategy. The firm says it has no fresh news to announce on this subject.

The firm started as a sugar broker called ED&F Man, then developed into a commodities broker and a derivatives broker. 'Man Financial' became part of the Man Group, whose fund-management business became Man Investments.

Three years ago the firms separated, with MF Global spawning from the IPO of Man Financial. MF Global listed in New York in mid-2007. Man Investments sold off its residual stake in MF Global (around 20%) in 2009, so now there is no cross-shareholding, though Man Investments is still a client of MF Global.