Bear Stearns Names Corporate Finance Head
* Cary H. Thompson, 42, has been named senior managing director and head of corporate finance for investment banking and brokerage firm Bear Stearns & Co. in Los Angeles. Thompson joins the firm from Aames Financial Corp., where he has been chief executive officer since April 1997. Before that he was the company’s chief operating officer. He began his career at the Los Angeles-based law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Philips in 1982.
* Hugh E. Conners has been named first vice president and group manager of San Jose-based Comerica Bank-California’s community business banking group. He will be responsible for overseeing loans to small and medium-size businesses in Southern California and will be based in Long Beach.
* Los Angeles-based law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson said it has named Ray La Soya a partner in the firm, and William A. Molinski as special counsel.
* Real estate company Charles Dunn Co. has named Ryer Pickren as executive vice president of brokerage services, a newly created position. Pickren had been regional manager for Daum Commercial Real Estate Services.
* Kaufman & Broad Home Corp. has elected Barry Munitz, president and chief officer of J. Paul Getty Trust, a director. The naming of Munitz expands the Los Angeles-based company’s board to 12 members.
* AvalonBay Communities Inc. has promoted Philip Simmons to development director from senior development manager at the real estate investment trust. Simmons will focus exclusively on AvalonBay’s expansion of development operations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties from the company’s offices in Encino. AvalonBay is based in Alexandria, Va.
* Sega of America Inc. said it has added four new marketing executives to concentrate on the North American launch of Sega Dreamcast in September. Charles Bellfield, formerly with NEC Electronics, has been tapped as director of marketing communications; Martha Hill of Nike Inc. has been named sports marketing director; Heather Kashner of Reebok International was named consumer promotions manager; and Kathleen Joyce, also formerly with Reebok, was appointed to head event marketing management. All four will report to Peter Moore, senior vice president of marketing.
* Ware & Malcomb Architects Inc. has named Gary Finklestein to project manager in its interiors group and named Victor Moguel as job captain, architecure, in its Woodland Hills office.
