Siebert Williams Shank announced a half-dozen hires in its public finance operations.
SWS is opening an office in Boston, where Robert Hillman, a 27-year veteran of the public finance industry, will join the firm as an executive director.
Hillman will serve on Siebert Williams Shank's quantitative solutions group, which works with issuers across the country.
"The firm is clearly focused on large, complicated transactions," Hillman said. "This is where I've spent the majority of my career, focused on large municipal issuers."
Hillman has senior-managed more than $50 billion of bonds throughout his career. He's joining SWS from Morgan Stanley, where he was an executive director focusing on the transportation sector. Before that, he worked at Barclays.
Hillman's hiring is part of SWS' effort to deepen its services in New England, the firm said. He will be one of two employees in the Boston office.
"Siebert doesn't have a public finance presence in Massachusetts right now, and I'm really excited to open that office and start that up," Hillman said.
Hillman's team, the quantitative solutions group, was created last year. Headed by Giles Nicholson, the team works with issuers across the country. Nicholson said in a press release that he's excited to work with Hillman.
"Rob brings us in-depth experience in the development and execution of complex financing plans for some of the most sophisticated clients in the industry," Nicholson said. "Most recently, his experience and leadership in creating structures to improve the tender process have provided added value and efficiency that have directly benefited clients he has worked with."
Hillman cited Siebert Williams Shank's culture as another draw.
"It's a very collaborative culture," Hillman said. "Everybody at the firm has an open-door policy. Everybody rolls up their sleeves to get the best answer for our municipal clients. And it's really that client-first approach that drew me here."
Hillman is just one of SWS' new public finance bankers.
Arlene Douglas joined SWS from Goldman Sachs. Douglas will work in the firm's New York City office as a vice president in its higher education and not-for-profit group.
Alex Tumolo also joined the firm as vice president. At Stifel, he covered governments in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware; now, he'll be working with states in the Midwest and Southeast regions.
Siebert Williams Shank added two New York City-based analysts, Samuel Donchi and Nikil Sirivolu, to its transportation group. And Christopher Hamama, based in Detroit, joined the firm's Chicago/Midwest team.
SWS senior-managed $6.8 billion in par amount in the first quarter, in 23 bond issues, more than twice the firm's volume during the same period in 2024, the press release said.
