Hodes, Weill tap former CS colleague

Hodes Weill & Associates has hired former Credit Suisse investor relations veteran Susan Swanezy as partner.

Swanezy was managing director and head of distribution for Credit Suisse’s Real Estate Investments Group, which includes DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and the bank’s core asset management and real estate securities arms.

She worked alongside, although not directly with, David Hodes and Doug Weill, former co-heads of Credit Suisse’s placement agency, before the duo left last July to form their own advisory firm targeting the recapitalisation and restructuring of fund managers and portfolio investments.

Hodes Weill has hired a number of Credit Suisse alumni including Stuart Baldwin, Adam Handwerker and Tim McDermott. In December, former Rainew Realty Advisors restructuring executive Ray Potter was appointed principal. Prior to Rainew, Potter was managing director with Credit Suisse’s real estate finance group, responsible for a commercial mortgage-backed securities origination team in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Tampa.

Prior to joining Credit Suisse in September 2008, Swanezy worked at Stockbridge Capital Partners, having joined from Deutsche Bank RREEF’s client relations group.

Weill said in a statement today Swanezy’s 25 years in the real estate industry would help the firm as it worked with “managers, investors and lenders to navigate the issues presented by the current market dislocation”.