Blackstone taps B of A executive for public markets

NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - Blackstone Group [BG.UL], the big private equity firm preparing to go public, on Tuesday said it hired Joan Solotar from Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) as a senior managing director overseeing public markets activities.

Solotar has been a managing director and director of equity research at Banc of America Securities, which she joined in 2003. She previously worked at Credit Suisse First Boston, where she was a managing director covering the financial services sector, and was a top-ranked analyst in several annual Wall Street Journal stock-picking surveys.

At Blackstone, Solotar will manage relationships with investors and industry analysts, guide on strategic development opportunities, and advise Blackstone companies on their positioning in public equity markets.

Blackstone is expected in the next few weeks to conduct an initial public offering of stock that could value the firm at more than $33 billion.