Aug 9 (Reuters) - Barclays has hired Stephen Stewart, an investment banking veteran, from TD Securities to lead its mergers and acquisition (M&A) execution in Canada, the British bank said on Friday.

Stewart was till recently the managing director for M&A at TD Securities, where he had an over 15-year long career.

The hiring comes at a time when hopes of a soft landing for the economy and an ebullient market has helped dealmaking find confidence in 2024, after a downbeat 2023, with a resurgence in large M&As.

Stewart, during his time at TD, advised on several large M&A deals that included Nuvei being taken private by Advent and Dream Global REIT's sale to Blackstone, according to a Barclays statement.

Stewart will report to both Canada's investment banking head Ryan Voegeli and Dan Grabos, head of Americas M&A. (Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)