Jefferies has hired Josh Gold as a managing director and head of the firm's new hedge fund relationship group.

Gold will be responsible for efforts to manage the firm's overall relationships with US-based hedge funds, including representing Jefferies' broad product offering across equities and fixed income.

"The establishment of a hedge fund relationship group is further evidence of Jefferies' commitment to strengthening our equity and fixed income sales and trading platform, and to providing quality, best-in-class service to our global institutional clients," says Richard B. Handler, chairman and chief executive officer of Jefferies. "Given his strong background, Josh Gold is well-qualified to lead this strategic effort for Jefferies as we continue to focus on our customers."

Gold joins Jefferies from Dematteo Monness, an independent primary research firm and full-service broker-dealer, where he spent seven years, most recently as a managing partner.

Previously, he spent three years at Goldman Sachs, where he started and led that firm's dedicated hedge fund coverage effort in Boston. Prior to that, he worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Bear Stearns in equity sales capacities.