Fiona Paulus is Global Head of Financial Sponsors at Royal Bank of Scotland (‘RBS’). Fiona’s global team covers private equity funds across the world. As of 1H 2008, RBS was ranked #1 in investment banking for Financial Sponsors in Europe and #2 in Leverage Finance globally.
From 2003 to 2008, Fiona was the Global Head of Energy & Resources (‘E&R’) where her team provided investment banking services to clients operating around the world in the five sectors being; oil & gas, power & utilities and metals & mining, chemical & healthcare. Within the group, Fiona also set up (in 2003) and led the Metals & Mining sector banking team.
Today, RBS ranks in the top five in the Energy sector in the world (ex USA) and is the leading player in Energy in the Emerging Markets. In recognition of the quality of the Energy franchise, ABN AMRO (now owned by RBS) obtained the top banking awards in 2007 for Iberdrola’s $24 bln acquisition of Scottish Power and Tata Steel’s $13 bln acquisition for Corus UK.
Fiona joined ABN AMRO in July 2001 from Deutsche Bank, New York where she ran the Telecom, Media and Technology, Investment Banking business for Latin America. She worked three years for Deutsche Bank/Bankers Trust, three years for JP MorganChase, and 13 years for Citibank. From 1989 to 2001, Fiona spent 12 years doing Latin American investment banking. During that period she worked on the very first capital markets transaction for Cemex in 1990 which reopened the international markets (after the 1980s debt crisis) to Latin America. She then went on to lead the BNDES FRN in 1997 which reopened the bank market for Brazil, and thereafter, in 1999, led the largest and longest tenor acquisition financing done in Brazil for a local private equity fund.
In total, Fiona has spent over 27 years in investment banking, 10 of them in New York, and 2 in Australia. She has worked in a variety of product areas across banking ranging from derivatives, securitisation, DCM, Leveraged Finance and corporate finance and therefore brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. Fiona is currently based in London.
RBS
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc is one of the world's largest financial services companies, delivering world class banking and financial services in more than 50 countries, across a global network. Operating profit in 2007 was £10.3 billion and RBS has 170,000 employees. RBS's business divisions provide a range of retail and corporate banking, financial markets, insurance and wealth management services. The Group's brands include RBS, NatWest, Ulster Bank, Coutts, Citizens and many other "household name" financial services companies. In 2007, RBS Group formed a consortium with Fortis Bank and Banco Santander to acquire ABN AMRO.
The RBS's Global Markets division is a leading banking partner to major corporations, financial institutions and public sector clients around the world. Global Markets provides an extensive range of debt markets, treasury and investor products, asset and portfolio management and transaction banking services.