Olivetree Group, a global financial services firm, today announced the appointment of Chris Pilder as the new CEO of its US business. In his new role, he will be responsible for expanding and building upon Olivetree’s footprint in the region. This recent appointment highlights the substantial growth of Olivetree’s US business over the last two years.

Chris Pilder joins Olivetree after an impressive twenty-seven years in the industry and a ten-year career at CRT Capital Group LLC, where he most recently served as Co-Head of Equities. Previous roles include leadership positions at CSFB, where he worked as the Director of Equity Trading, DLJ as the Co-Head of Block Trading, as well as over 11 years at Salomon Brothers.

Alongside Chris Pilder, Olivetree has appointed Laura Kaster to serve as the new US Financials Sector Strategist and David O’Shea to serve in a hybrid role of Execution/Sales Trader. Laura most recently held the title of Senior Financials Analyst and Strategist for Bloomberg First Word and has a total of twenty-two years of industry experience. David joins the firm from Sterne Agee & Leach, where he most recently held the title of Managing Director and Head Trader. The most recent hires reflects the rapid growth and success of Olivetree’s business, showing growth of over 100% in 2013 and over 300% in 2014.

Commenting on the appointment, Chris Pilder said, “I am very excited to be joining Olivetree. The company has an impressive history and reputation with its world-class analytical insights and services combined with its exclusive institutional client base which cater to a dynamic industry with significant, untapped potential. I look forward to becoming part of the US team and driving growth for years to come.”

“I am very proud to welcome Chris to the Olivetree team,” said Daryn Kutner, Olivetree Group CEO and Founder. “The US is a key and rapidly expanding market for Olivetree, and I am confident that Chris’ industry tenure and leadership track record will prove to be a tremendous asset in helping the firm build deep and trusted client relationships in the region.”

Olivetree Group recently announced the demerger of its financial technology subsidiary, OTAS Technologies. Chris, Laura and David will all be based in Olivetree’s New York City office beginning their roles in Q2.