Paillat will start his role at Sona Asset Management in April, based in London, said the source.

He joins from JP Morgan, where he spent over 17 years building out the firm's global credit business holding senior roles including global head of macro credit trading, according to his LinkedIn profile which still lists him at JP Morgan.

Sona Asset Management, which manages $5.7 billion, is based in London and New York, and focuses on credit with a specialist focus on European markets.

Last year, the firm's Master Fund finished with a positive 20.2% return net of fees, the source said.

Paillat is the latest in a series of hires meant to expand the structured credit team.

Jared Erbst joined this month from Tilden Park Capital Management as head of structured credit and insurance solutions while ex-Barclays banker Stephen Smith joined as head of capital markets in September 2023, said the source.

(Reporting by Nell Mackenzie; Edited by Dhara Ranasinghe and Tomasz Janowski)

By Nell Mackenzie