Commerzbank Securities has hired Michael Johnson, who previously worked with Guy Hands at Nomura and led the groundbreaking purchase of 1,000 pubs from Bass to create the Voyager Pub Company.

Johnson will help develop the German bank's financial sponsors group, formed earlier this year. The bank hired Matthew Roeser in June to lead the group. The group's mission is to generate deals for private equity firms and fees for the bank from advisory and lending services, and it will take advantage of the bank's numerous relationships with companies in Europe and, in particular, Germany.