With the highest Tier 1 capital of any eurozone bank and the largest market share in bookrunning euro-denominated debt in 2013, there is no doubting the status of BNP Paribas as a European financing powerhouse. By contrast, it has not traditionally been a corporate finance giant. The largest companies in its home French market, such as energy firm EDF or aerospace company Airbus Group (formerly EADS) have contributed a substantial portion of its dealflow. So the 2011 hiring of Sophie Javary, a partner at the traditional aristocrats of advisory, Rothschild, looked like a statement of intent.
In 2013, according to Thomson Reuters data, BNP Paribas broke into the top 10 for advising on completed mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Europe, with a dramatic 9.6% market share gain taking it above Rothschild. At the start of 2014, Ms Javary became BNP Paribas’ head of corporate finance for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and deputy to the bank’s global head of corporate finance, Thierry Varène. At the same time, she joined the executive committee for BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB).
