BT Promotes Tech Executive To Co-Manage Finance Unit

BT Alex. Brown Inc. has named R. William Burgess Jr. to co-head its corporate finance business.

Mr. Burgess, former head of the firm's investment banking technology group, will team with Alexander T. Mason, managing director and co-head of the corporate finance group, in leading the effort to generate more business from corporate buyout firms.

Mr. Burgess succeeds managing director Gar Richlin, who recently accepted a post as chief financial officer at Sitel Corp., a Baltimore- based provider of outsourced telephone and Internet-based customer service programs.

Mr. Burgess will report to Ted Virtue, managing director and president of BT Alex. Brown.

"Bill has great overall investment banking skills, and I think he's a very good complement to Alex Mason," Mr. Virtue said. Mr. Burgess has shown "fantastic leadership" in expanding, integrating, and running the technology group, Mr. Virtue added.

Mr. Burgess, 38, has been an investment banker for the past 15 years. He worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. before joining the former Alex. Brown & Sons.

Since it purchased Alex. Brown in September, Bankers Trust has been focusing the investment bank's sales, trading, and research capabilities around industry expertise.

The appointment of Mr. Burgess underscores the success of those industry groups, "which are really businesses within themselves," Mr. Virtue said.

Managing directors Robert Packard and Michael Halloran will take over for Mr. Burgess as co-heads of the global technology group.

Mr. Packard will be based in San Francisco, and Mr. Halloran, who has been in London, will be based in Boston.

BT Alex. Brown contributed $147 million to Bankers Trust's profits of $207 million in the fourth quarter. Bankers Trust earned $866 million for 1997.

On Dec. 31, Bankers Trust had assets of $140.1 billion.

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