The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. today announced several appointments designed to bolster its European investment banking division.

Paul Abecassis has been appointed to the newly created role of chairman of European investment banking; Mark Goldstein and Florian Lahnstein have been named co-heads of the division; and, Goldstein has also been appointed as head of European acquisition finance.

Abecassis becomes chairman of European investment banking after eight years as a senior banker with Bear Stearns in Europe. He will continue to be based at the company’s European headquarters in London. He has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking and has been with Bear Stearns for 16 years.

Goldstein joined Bear Stearns in 1994 and has been a long standing member of the firm’s financial sponsor practice. He will relocate to London and also will assume the additional responsibility for the firm’s leveraged finance and financial sponsor coverage efforts. Lahnstein joined Bear Stearns in January of this year from UBS to focus on the global technology, media and telecommunications industry as well as the broader German corporate market.

“These appointments demonstrate our commitment to build out our European banking franchise. They recognise the importance of the private equity community in today’s markets, and the advantages of combining our European and U.S. technical expertise and relationships,” said Michel Péretié, CEO of Bear Stearns International.