The latest moves and appointments in wealth management in the Americas.

S2 Capital
S2 Capital, the US-based residential investment manager, has hired Mark Halford as vice president, special situations. Halford and will work with the S2 investments team to focus on opportunistic and distressed acquisitions through the firm’s commingled fund vehicles.

Halford spent a decade with Lone Star Funds, where he participated in over $10 billion of distressed and opportunistic investing, including the takeover of the failed Anglo-Irish Bank that took place in 2011. Following his position at Lone Star Funds’ Hudson Advisors, he became a managing partner at Hillview Capital Partners, a private real estate investment firm based in Dallas. Halford began his career in various roles at Northmarq Capital and Morgan Stanley Investment Bank.

The firm has also appointed Connor Austin as vice president of capital formation and investor relations. He will build investor links with institutions and wealth management firms in the western US and be based in Los Angeles. Before joining S2, Austin served at iCapital Network for four years, managing relationships with registered investment advisors, regional and independent broker dealers and bank trust clients, and specializing in alternative investment sales, including real estate. 

Previously, he held multiple sales positions at Meltwater Group, a global provider of social and media intelligence services.

Founded in 2012, S2 Capital is a Dallas-based national multifamily investment platform.