TradingTech Insight People
Appital Hires Former HSBC Trader John Coules Amid Growth Surge
Appital, the technology platform for peer-to-peer price discovery and liquidity sourcing, has recruited John Coules as part of its business development team. Previously a high-touch sales trader at HSBC, Coules’ appointment comes during a period of substantial growth for Appital, highlighted by achieving $4.0bn in buyside liquidity since the introduction of Appital Insights in September 2023. With over three decades of experience in sales trading and relationship building across major European markets, Coules is set to strengthen Appital’s partnerships and enhance liquidity opportunities in the UK and Europe.
Appital’s platform provides the buyside community with access to deal flows and execution opportunities, facilitating discreet large ADV order executions through Appital Insights, which not only assesses the viability of these transactions without market impact but also connects traders and portfolio managers with significant liquidity events across relevant equities.
TradingHub Bolsters Leadership Team, Appoints New CFO and Global Head of Sales Amid Strong Growth
TradingHub, the trade surveillance software provider, has appointed Stephen Bergin as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Shayne Ganeson as Global Head of Sales and Relationship Management. The move aims to bolster the company’s market position and sustain its impressive trajectory of growth, underscored by a 30% increase in annual recurring revenue.
Bergin, who joined as Head of Finance in 2021, brings extensive financial executive experience from his tenure at firms such as Thomson Reuters and the London Stock Exchange Group. Ganeson, transitioning from his role as North American Market Head, has been instrumental in enhancing TradingHub’s reputation and client relationships in major financial markets, leveraging his comprehensive background in various sectors of the finance industry, including positions at Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.
Sharon Biran Appointed as DTCC’s New Chief Client Officer
DTCC has announced Sharon Biran as its new Managing Director and Chief Client Officer, effective from March 25. Biran, succeeding Timothy Keady, joins DTCC’s Executive Committee and will report directly to President and CEO Francis J. La Salla. Her responsibilities encompass overseeing the firm’s global client management and engagement strategy, which includes sales, relationship management, marketing, communications, and leading DTCC’s Consulting Services business.
With over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles within the financial services industry, including significant tenure at Accenture and roles at UBS and JPMorgan Chase, Biran brings a wealth of experience in strategic client relationship management, global transformation programs, and operational resilience initiatives.
SIGMA Financial AI Appoints Rachel Przybylski as Chief Product Officer
AI-driven trading solutions vendor SIGMA Financial AI has announced the appointment of Rachel Przybylski as the company’s new Chief Product Officer. With a career spanning over two decades in global financial markets, Przybylski has an extensive background with leadership positions at Saxo Capital Markets, Nasdaq, and Nomura. Her expertise includes managing complex trading and regulatory compliance projects.
As co-chair of the FIX EMEA investment management working group, Przybylski brings a wealth of experience to SIGMA. Her primary role will involve collaboration with the AI engineering team to shape the company’s product development strategy and ensure it aligns with the evolving requirements of their clients.
BMLL Appoints Former HSBC Executive Niall Cameron as Non-Executive Director
Historical market data and analytics provider BMLL has announced the appointment of Niall Cameron as a Non-Executive Director to support the company’s strategic development. Cameron, who’s career spans over three decades and has included executive roles at HSBC, IHS Markit, and ABN Amro, also joins BMLL’s group of investors.
The appointment of Cameron, who comes with expertise in strategic positioning, deal-making, and product and commercial advisory for fintech, coincides with BMLL’s impressive growth trajectory, highlighted by a recent $26m Series B funding round and significant expansions in global data coverage and strategic partnerships.
Bob Wigley Joins R3 as Non-Executive Director to Boost Digital Finance Strategy
R3, the enterprise distributed ledger technology (DLT) company, has appointed Bob Wigley as a Non-Executive Director to its board. Wigley brings extensive digital finance expertise to R3, having chaired UK Finance for the last six years and spearheading the UK Finance digital tokenization taskforce. He previously served as the EMEA Chairman at Merrill Lynch, where he developed a keen interest in market infrastructures through his membership on the boards of the Bank of England, Euroclear, and LCH.Clearnet.
Wigley is an Honorary Fellow at the Judge Business School, part of the Centre for Alternative Finance at Cambridge University, and holds the position of Honorary Professor at the Digital Futures Institute at King’s College London. At R3, he will leverage his experience to enhance the company’s digital finance strategy and promote the adoption of R3 Digital Markets.
DiffusionData Appoints Neil Seymour as New Chief Operating Officer
DiffusionData, the real-time data streaming and messaging platform vendor, has promoted Neil Seymour to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Previously the Head of Engineering at the company, Seymour brings a wealth of experience from his past roles, including positions at Vizolution and Lexmark Enterprise Solutions.
With over three decades of expertise in system development, integration, and project delivery, particularly in SME technology firms, Seymour specialises in managing complex, business-critical projects and leading business transformation initiatives.
Trading Technologies Strengthens Leadership Team with Three Key Appointments
Trading Technologies International, Inc. (TT) has appointed Justin Llewellyn-Jones as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Christopher Heffernan as EVP of Fixed Income, and Alun Green as EVP of Futures & Options. These strategic appointments, with Llewellyn-Jones and Heffernan operating out of New York and Green in London, underscore TT’s commitment to expanding its global footprint and enhancing its expertise across various financial sectors.
Llewellyn-Jones, with nearly three decades in fintech and financial services, will spearhead TT’s market-facing business and multi-asset growth strategies. Previously Chief Operating Officer at Broadridge, he brings extensive experience in derivatives and financial operations. Heffernan, a veteran with over twenty years in fixed income, joins TT after senior tenures at Flow Traders and SumRidge Partners, where he specialized in electronic and algorithmic trading. He is tasked with expanding TT’s global fixed income business. Green, with 24 years’ experience in financial markets and technology, moves from his senior role at Fidelity Information Services (FIS) where he managed derivatives and post-trade securities. His focus at TT will be on growing the futures and options franchise.
FlexTrade Systems Appoints Michael Kovach as Head of Fixed Income Sales in Americas
FlexTrade Systems the multi-asset execution & order management systems vendor, has announced the appointment of Michael Kovach as Head of Fixed Income Sales in the Americas. Kovach, an experienced professional with a 20-year tenure in the FinTech sector, will focus on enhancing FlexTrade’s market position in Fixed Income Electronic Trading Solutions.
He previously served as a Lead Relationship Manager within BlackRock’s Aladdin business and the Head of Fixed Income Sales U.S. at Liquidnet. Based in New York, Kovach’s primary responsibility will be to drive sales and expand the business reach of FlexTrade’s Fixed Income EMS, FlexFI, offering solutions for liquidity aggregation, price discovery, and best execution in the fragmented Fixed Income landscape.
Exegy Appoints Brian Pomraning as Chief Revenue Officer
Trading and market data systems vendor Exegy has appointed industry veteran Brian Pomraning as Chief Revenue Officer. With 25 years of leadership experience in the financial services industry, including product management, technology, sales, and marketing, Pomraning has a proven track record of transforming and growing global businesses and cross-functional teams.
During his career, Pomraning has worked at bulge bracket banks, public companies and private firms, having held senior positions at JP Morgan, Barclays, Lehman Brothers, ITG, Pico, and Elwood Technologies.