NEW YORK — Investment banking firm Financo Inc. is promoting William D. Busko II to managing director and is adding Reyaz A. Kassamali as a director.
Both will report to Gilbert Harrison, chairman and chief executive officer, and William Susman, president and chief operating officer.
“This promotion and appointment, combined with the recent additions of Billy Susman and Joyce Greenberg, reflect the continued growth at Financo and further positions us as the preeminent merchant bank committed to providing top-notch financial advisory services to the merchandising sector,” said Harrison.
Busko joined Financo in 2002 in the mergers and acquisitions practice. His primary responsibilities consist of client marketing, “deal team” leadership and transaction execution. Since he’s been with Financo, Busko has advised a number of consumer and retail clients, including the Container Store, Corral West Ranchwear, Gottschalks, Innovative Stone, Joe Boxer and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. Before joining Financo, Busko was a principal in the mergers and acquisitions group at Banc of America Securities, also with a focus on the consumer and retail sectors.
Kassamali joins Financo as a director from Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, a global investment bank. His responsibilities will include an expansion of the firm’s client base. At Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Kassamali was most recently a director in the retail group, where he advised such clients as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Best Buy and the Athlete’s Foot, as well as private equity funds active in the retail sector.
Before entering the investment banking field in 2000, Kassamali was an attorney with the law firm of Latham & Watkins here and in London, where he worked on mergers and acquisitions, high-yield financing, private equity/venture capital transactions and international antitrust matters.