Nomura hires top ICICI banker to head India ECM business-sources

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings has tapped Mahesh Natarajan to head its equity capital markets business in India, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters, a top-level investment banking hire that comes when dealmaking is going through a turbulent phase.

Natarajan is due to join the Japanese firm's Indian unit in the coming months, the sources said, declining to be named as the hiring decision is not public.

Natarajan currently heads the equity capital markets - including initial public offerings and block deals - for Nomura's domestic rival ICICI Securities and has spent nearly 17 years with the firm, according to his LinkedIn profile. He worked with Morgan Stanley earlier.

He replaces Mangesh Ghogre, who headed Nomura's equity capital market business in India until last month.

Nomura, Natarajan and ICICI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by M. Sriram; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Dhanya Ann Thoppil)

By Sriram Mani