Arbra Partners, the international asset management, wealth advisory, M&A and private market opportunities group, has appointed Zeca Oliveira as group chief financial officer and Nick Claxton as chief operating officer of the firm’s UK and Portugal businesses.
The appointments reflect the rapid development of Arbra following the opening of its Swiss business in June 2024.
The group, which has its headquarters in London and offices in Geneva and Lisbon, plans to materially increase its client reach, scale and offer in 2025.
Arbra specialises in alternative investments along with a Brics focus. Besides offering conventional asset management and wealth advice, Arbra presents clients with unique M&A and investment opportunities from around the world. Arbra was established in 2022 and now has over $1.5bn in assets under management and 25 employees.
Nick Claxton has 39 years’ experience in City and offshore financial markets in senior client development and technology roles providing banking services and technology solutions to financial institutions, family offices and institutional funds. At BNP Paribas Securities Services, he led client development onshore for UK financial intermediaries, and offshore for funds, trusts and private wealth in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Prior to joining Arbra, Claxton held senior roles at Lombard Odier, Thomson Reuters and Misys Group.
Zeca Oliveira has over 35 years banking and financial services experience focused on Brazil and Latin America. Most recently he co-founded Bridge Trust, a Rio de Janeiro based boutique focused on fiduciary fund services. Previously he was CEO of Bank of New York Mellon Financial Services in Brazil, and before that he was a Partner at Banco Icatu and an operations analyst at Banco Garantia, based in Rio de Janeiro. Zeca secured an MBA, Accounting and Finance at Insead after initially obtaining an MBA, Accounting at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV).
Philip Harris, Chief Executive of Arbra, said: “We have bold ambitions in 2025 and these senior hires will strengthen our ability to execute our strategy. The group is in great shape to now deliver its potential and we look to the future with confidence.”
Lucas Bitencourt, founder of Arbra, said: “The Brics markets, and Brazil in particular, are a core area of expertise for Arbra. Having someone of Zeca’s seniority and experience on the ground in Brazil will enable us to present our clients with some really exciting new opportunities. At the same time, Nick’s appointment adds deep industry knowledge and hands-on experience across all aspects of the asset and wealth management arena.”
