Carlyle, the global private equity firm, has hired Natasha Nankivell from Macquarie Group as its first Australian sales person.

Nankivell started work in Sydney last week and “will work with current and prospective investors,” the Washington DC-based firm said in a statement.

Nankivell was Macquarie’s executive director and head of private capital markets for Asia. She is a managing director at Carlyle.

Carlyle’s Australian sales effort used to be run out of Singapore but the infrequent visits from Asia has not helped the firm’s relationship with the $1.4 trillion superannuation industry that has sought to diversify their investments.