Duff & Phelps plants flag in Spain

• Duff & Phelps, the valuation specialists, opened its 31st office in Madrid. The group’s Spain office will be led by managing director Javier Zoido.

• Duff & Phelps also published a valuation handbook, 2014 Valuation Handbook-Guide to Cost of Capital. The new book aims to help GPs estimate the cost of capital when valuing private companies.

• Boston-headquartered placement agent Monument Group expanded into Asia with a Hong Kong office. The group plans to expand to Tokyo later in the year.

• Fund managers can now use UBS Fund Services as a Swiss representative and/or Swiss paying agent in order to meet new Switzerland private placement regulations.

• UBS Fund Services also launched a “depositary lite” platform for offshore fund managers required to appoint a depositary under the EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD).

• Kim Pedersen joined Hycroft, a boutique investment bank focused on alternative investments, as a managing director. He previously was founder of Arrow Point Advisors and, before that, a managing principal of Park Hill Group.

• Brokerage firm Tullett Prebon setup an alternative investments team in Dubai to serve the Middle East market.

• Financial services provider State Street appointed two senior executives to its US private equity fund services team. Suresh Krishnamurthy and Cesar Estrada, both senior managing directors, will lead teams dedicated to private equity. They will report to Bhagesh Malde, head of private equity and real estate fund services for North America and Asia Pacific.

• Mike Sullivan joined Grant Thornton as a managing director in the firm’s New York transaction advisory practice. He was previously a senior manager with Ernst & Young.

• Investment bank Greenhill & Co. hired Patricia Moran as chief legal officer. She was previously a M&A attorney with law firm Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom. Gavin Solotar, who worked as Greenhill’ general counsel since 2012, will step down from the role into a managing director position in the firm’s corporate advisory group.

• Mid-market M&A and debt advisory firm Livingstone added Karen Dawaf (formerly of Deloitte), Tom Smith (formerly of PwC) and Lewis Gray (also formerly of PwC) to its London team.

•Private equity fund administrator Gen II Fund Services hired Jeff Gendelas managing director of business development. He was previously head of business development at PEI, an alternative assets media company and parent of PE manager.

• Fund services firm BNY Mellon named Frank La Salla as chief executive of its alternative investment services business. He previously was a managing director at BNY Mellon business Pershing.

• Fund services provider Moore Group appointed Emma Price, an accountant specializing in private equity funds, as a senior manager. Price was previously with State Street.