Singapore: International investment bank, Canaccord Genuity, expanded its Australian operations with the addition of a high profile life sciences team. 

Corporate banker Mr Daniel Sharp and senior analyst Dr Matthijs Smith, formerly of Shaw Stockbroking, have recently been recruited to and commenced work with the firm. They are two of the most experienced and successful professionals in Australia's life sciences sector, having worked on IPOs, secondary capital raising and general corporate advisory mandates with many leading ASX-listed companies including Cellestis (acquired by Qiagen), Mesoblast, Starpharma, Nanosonics, Peplin (acquired by Leo Pharma), Evogenix (acquired by Cephalon) and Osprey Medical.

Canaccord is one of the leading life sciences banks in North America. The addition of life sciences coverage to its Australian operations, which has already established its strength in resources and industrials, is a natural progression of the company's expansion.

In North America, Canaccord has eight life sciences analysts covering more than 100 companies and a dedicated life sciences banking team covering med tech, diagnostics, biotech and specialty pharmaceuticals.

Over the past year, the company has hosted four life sciences conferences including its annual Canaccord Genuity Global Growth Conference in Boston, which had approximately 500 presenting companies and was attended by nearly 600 Institutional Investors.