Bannister joins SVB to help companies raise cash, access public markets

SVB Leerink has hired Jack Bannister from Goldman Sachs. In the new role, Bannister will “partner with healthcare and life sciences companies to raise capital and position them for success in the public markets.”

Bannister has taken up the title of managing director at SVB’s equity capital markets franchise after spending eight years at Goldman Sachs. Working out of SVB’s New York office, Bannister will report to Rahul Chaudhary and contribute to a push by the investment bank to unlock new business. 

“This expanded team will allow us to bring our capital markets expertise to a broad range of new clients alongside our recent investment banking hires, while continuing to deepen our relationships with existing corporate and investing partners,” Chaudhary, senior managing director and head of equity capital markets at SVB, said in a statement.

The appointment is the latest in a series of hires made by SVB. In February, SVB added Barry Blake to its healthcare investment banking strategy team. The following month, SVB brought Robert Minear on board in a role that sees him report to Blake. Last week, Thad Davis became the third in a flurry of new hires when SVB disclosed his appointment as head of its leveraged finance franchise. 

SVB’s hiring spree comes at a time when investment is flowing into the healthcare and life sciences industries, its areas of specialization. Fields including biotech, diagnostics and digital health are the focus of investor interest. 

Bannister became the latest SVB appointment on the strength of a résumé defined by an eight-year spell at Goldman Sachs, where he worked as VP of the healthcare equity capital markets team. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Bannister held posts at T. Rowe Price and the American Enterprise Institute.