Amethyst Corporate Finance, the advisory boutique set up two years ago by former HSBC bankers, has hired a private equity specialist as a senior adviser to develop the firm's profile.

Tim Lebus, a director of Duke Street Capital, the European private equity firm, will work for Amethyst on a part-time basis, much like a non-executive director. Andy Margetts, one of Amethyst's co-founders, said Lebus' broad network of contacts would come in particularly helpful for the firm.