Morgan Stanley (MS.N), Looking to fortify its equity trading business in Europe, has hired Richard Evans, a former top trader with Citigroup Inc (C.N), as head of strategy in the region, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday.

Evans will join Morgan Stanley in early September to oversee European strategy for its Delta One trading system, the paper said, citing people close to the bank.

The WSJ added that Evans, who was Citigroup's global head of electronic trading when he left in November, was a founding board member of Turquoise, the pan-European equity trading venture backed by nine of the world's biggest investment banks.

Morgan Stanley could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters. (Reporting by Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; editing by John Stonestreet)

Investment Citigroup Morgan Stanley