Luis A. Canela
Managing Director
212 292 8113
lcanela@kbro.com

Luis A. Canela brings 30+ years of financial services and entrepreneurial experience to Kaufman Bros., L.P. He began his banking career serving the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic. In 1980, Mr. Canela joined the bank holding company Grupo Financiero Popular where he organized and opened Banco Popular Dominicano - Panama and served as its first General Manager and CEO.

His banking experience led Dominican Republic President Balaguer to appoint him General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the largest commercial bank of the Dominican Republic, Banco de Reservas, where he served as CEO from 1986 to 1988.

Mr. Canela immigrated to the United States and served as President and CEO of BPD Bank from January 1988 to April 2009. BPD Bank is a $500+ million wholly-owned wholesale bank subsidiary of Groupo Popular and is located in New York City. Mr. Canela remained the Vice Chairman of BPD Bank until 2010.

Mr. Canela joined Kaufman Bros., L.P. as Managing Director, Head of Latin America Investment Banking to develop strategic partnerships with select local banks and broker-dealers for cross-border opportunities.

He serves on philanthropic boards of the Dominican American College Fund, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College Foundation, the Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City, Inc. and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (an academic and community hospital of Columbia and Cornell Universities that serves 2+ million patients per year).

Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Luis A. Canela holds degrees from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (Magna Cum Laude in Economic Sciences) and the Victoria University of Manchester, England, U.K. (MA, Econ).