Former Goldman European Head Cyzer Joins BTIG

The former head of European sales trading at Goldman Sachs, Matthew Cyzer, has joined BTIG to spearhead the boutique U.S. broker's aggressive European growth plan in the latest sign of hiring by smaller firms.

Cyzer, who left Goldman at the end of January last year after more than eight years with the bank, is BTIG's new president and head of European equities, the firm said in an emailed statement on Monday.

In his new role, Cyzer will be charged with expanding the European equities trading business at BTIG Limited, the London-based affiliate of BTIG LLC, by hiring across trading, prime brokerage and agency execution.

"We feel that now is the right time to invest further in our growing European franchise by hiring the best talent and the best professionals to drive our growth and serve our clients," said Steven Starker, co-founder of BTIG.

BTIG's ambitious plan is the latest sign that smaller firms are faring better from the financial crisis than their largest investment rivals, after Berenberg Bank said last month it plans to hire an extra 30 research analysts over the next two years.

In contrast, the world's top investment banks, including Goldman Sachs, have slashed well over 130,000 jobs since the middle of last year in cost-cutting drives amid stricter regulations and euro zone debt problems.

Founded in 2002, BTIG currently employs nearly 400 staffers in five countries across equity and fixed income trading and research. (Editing by Mark Potter)