UBS promotes Hong Kong-based Kendall to global head of ECM: memo

UBS AG has named Sam Kendall as the global head of equity capital markets (ECM), according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday, capping a year in which the Swiss bank regained its title of Asia Pacific ex-Japan's top stock underwriter.

Kendall, who joined UBS in Australia 16 years ago, helped the bank boost its ECM revenue by 80 percent in 2012 from 2011 when he took the post as head of Asia ECM, according to the memo sent by Matthew Grounds, David Soanes, Steve Cummings and Mike Stewart. By comparison, the fee pool in the region shrank 20 percent, the memo added.

Kendall will continue to be based in Hong Kong in the newly created role.

UBS has been a dominant force in Asian ECM, ruling the region's league tables in six of the past seven years. The bank took back the top post in 2012 after losing it to Goldman Sachs Group Inc last year.

The bank was among the three advisors to motor sport racing company Formula One's planned Singapore IPO, which was postponed after private equity firm CVC Capital sold a $2.1 billion stake to a group of investors including U.S. asset managers Waddell & Reed and BlackRock .

This year, UBS also worked on $15.5 billion worth of ECM deals in Asia ex-Japan and also led the region in estimated fees, earning $223.5 million, according to Thomson Reuters data.

UBS also worked on some of the largest equity offerings of the year in Asia Pacific, including American International Group Inc's $6 billion selldown of AIA Group <1299.HK> in March and $3.6 billion IPO by People's Insurance Company (Group) of China (PICC) this month.

(Reporting by Elzio Barreto; Editing by Denny Thomas and Matt Driskill)