By Greg Roumeliotis and Liana B. Baker
Oct 23 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has appointedMike Gaito as global co-head of healthcare investment bankingafter Jeff Stute, who held that role, left to join rivalinvestment bank Perella Weinberg Partners LP, people familiarwith the matter said.
The move coincides with JPMorgan seeking to solidify itsposition in dealmaking in the healthcare sector. It has held thetop spot in global healthcare investment banking league tablessince 2011, according to market research firm Dealogic.
San Francisco-based Gaito will serve as co-head ofJPMorgan's global healthcare investment banking group alongsideLondon-based Michele Colocci, who rejoined the bank last yearfrom Morgan Stanley, the sources said.
JPMorgan also appointed Phil Ross, who has been with thebank for 18 years, to be a vice chairman of investment bankingwith a focus on healthcare, according to the sources, who askednot to be identified because there have been no publicannouncements.
JPMorgan and Perella Weinberg LP declined to comment.
JPMorgan has advised on some of the largest healthcare dealsthis year, including Takeda Pharmaceutical's pending$62 billion agreement to buy London-listed drugmaker Shire Plcand Eli Lilly & Co's spinoff of its ElancoAnimal Health Unit.
Stute joins a string of JPMorgan healthcare bankers who havedecamped for Perella Weinberg in the last few years, includingChristopher O'Connor, Philippe McAuliffe, Nick Johnston and AviRaval. Perella Weinberg is gearing up for an initial publicoffering that is expected in 2019, sources have said.(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis and Liana B. Baker in New York;editing by Grant McCool)
