BridgePort Appoints Zane Suren as Chief Revenue Officer

BridgePort, an institutional coordination layer for crypto off-exchange settlement, has appointed Zane Suren as its Chief Revenue Officer. Suren will oversee the firm’s global revenue strategy, managing commercial architecture, pipeline development, and the expansion of the sales function as the network scales.

Suren joins from Zodia Custody, the Standard Chartered-backed digital asset custodian, where he served as Managing Director and a member of the Global Leadership Team. During his three-year tenure, he led commercial activity across the Middle East and Africa, gaining extensive experience in how institutional asset managers and trading firms adopt digital asset infrastructure. His background highlights a focus on solving operational challenges that occur when custody, execution, and settlement functions remain siloed.

Prior to his time at Zodia Custody, Suren co-founded a digital assets infrastructure firm that provided B2B technology to over 50 exchanges and OTC desks across the EMEA region. He began his career in commodities trading, providing him with a foundation in traditional market structures before he transitioned exclusively to the digital asset sector in 2017.

Fintech Veteran Keith Todd Launches Sapphire Technology Group in London

Veteran fintech executive Keith Todd has announced the launch of Sapphire Technology Group Ltd., a London-based firm designed to drive growth and profitability in global technology businesses. The company is built upon the “Sapphire Doctrine,” a repeatable framework of leadership principles developed by Todd over 30 years in the capital markets sector. This doctrine prioritises vision, authentic culture, and a stakeholder-centric approach to business transformation.

The group will operate through two primary initiatives. Sapphire Leadership will offer intensive programmes for C-suite executives, beginning with an inaugural “Sapphire Transform 2026” event in Boulder, Colorado, this September. This immersive session is designed to help leaders implement the doctrine’s principles to achieve sustainable, scalable growth.

Finastra Governance Chief Elected to DAMA International Leadership Team

Finastra’s global head of data governance, Peter Vennel, has been elected vice president at data management professional group DAMA International.

Vennel will serve a three-year term focusing on global strategy and member support for the association. The position involves chairing the Governance and Nominations Committee and participating in the Finance Committee to provide organisational oversight.

The role incorporates leadership in enterprise data governance to support industry best practices across various sectors.

TNS Appoints Levent Mehmet as Managing Director for Asia Pacific

Transaction Network Services (TNS) has appointed Levent Mehmet as Managing Director for its Financial Markets business in the Asia Pacific region. Based in Singapore, Mehmet is responsible for overseeing the company’s regional strategy, sales operations, and client engagement. His leadership will cover established teams in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, while also supporting the company’s broader client base across markets including China, India, and Southeast Asia.

Mehmet joins TNS with over 25 years of experience in financial market data and infrastructure. He previously spent 17 years at ICE Data Services, where he played a central role in expanding the firm’s regional footprint. His career also includes professional tenures with SIX and Bloomberg across Europe and the Middle East, providing him with extensive international expertise in connectivity and market infrastructure.

The appointment strengthens TNS’s regional leadership as it continues to provide connectivity and infrastructure services to global financial markets. By leveraging Mehmet’s background in business expansion and market data, the company aims to enhance its presence and service delivery across diverse jurisdictions, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

GLEIF Appoints Former Finoa Chief to New COFO Role

The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation has appointed Michaela Fleischer as its inaugural chief operating and financial officer.

Fleischer previously served as COO at Finoa and held leadership positions at Deutsche Bank, N26, Holvi and Revolut.

Based in Frankfurt am Main as managing director of GLEIF Germany, Fleischer reports to the chief executive and oversees financial planning, sustainability and day-to-day operations.

SimCorp Appoints Debbie Townley as Chief People Officer

SimCorp, the global financial technology firm, has appointed Debbie Townley as its new Chief People Officer, effective 1 March 2026. Reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Peter Sanderson, Townley will oversee the company’s global People & Culture strategy. She joins the leadership team to support SimCorp’s current phase of organisational transformation.

Townley succeeds Marlene Nyholm Voss, who has moved into a senior leadership role as Managing Director of People & Culture at Deutsche Börse Group. Based in London, Townley brings 18 years of international experience across the UK and US, having held senior human resources positions at major financial institutions including BlackRock and Brooks Macdonald.

Prior to joining SimCorp, she served as Chief People Officer at GAM Investments. An alumna of the University of Oxford, Townley holds a BA (Honours) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Her appointment is intended to strengthen the firm’s talent management and cultural development as it scales its operations within the fintech sector.

Funds-Axis Strengthens Operations as It Scales Internationally

Global investment manager RegTech provider Funds-Axis has appointed Chris Machin as Chief Operating Officer, a move that signals a shift from build-phase momentum to operational scale. The London-based regulatory technology and investment compliance specialist is positioning itself for disciplined international growth, with Machin tasked to lead the operational architecture behind that expansion.

The firm describes the appointment as part of its next phase of global development. Machin brings experience in scaling high-growth technology businesses and structuring delivery frameworks within regulated environments. His remit spans operational strategy, client delivery, platform scalability and organisational development — areas that become critical as RegTech providers move from product-market fit to repeatable cross-border execution.

Chief Executive Officer Darren Burrows framed the hire in the context of execution. “Chris joins us at a pivotal moment,” he said. “We have assembled a great team and built a leading technology platform in Galaxy which has proven its value with clients across our key product modules. Our focus now is disciplined growth and execution – expanding internationally and continuing to deliver market-leading regulatory solutions. Chris brings the operational leadership to further strengthen our leadership team and support our ambition – I am delighted to welcome him on board”.

The reference to Galaxy is notable. Funds-Axis has built its proposition around integrating regulatory intelligence, workflow and technology into a unified compliance platform. As regulatory obligations expand across jurisdictions, operational resilience and scalable delivery models become differentiators as much as product functionality.

Machin’s own remarks suggest continuity rather than reinvention. “Funds-Axis has a clear vision, strong values, and a commitment to excellence. I am excited to join at such a pivotal time in its growth. Funds-Axis has successfully combined regulatory intelligence, robust technology and operational workflow into the Galaxy solution. I look forward to working with the team to scale the business, deepen client and partner relationships and drive global, sustainable growth”.

In practical terms, this signals a focus on institutionalising growth: formalising processes, strengthening governance, and ensuring that client delivery models remain robust as the firm expands into new markets. For RegTech vendors operating in investment compliance, scaling is not only about acquiring clients; it requires maintaining regulatory credibility, auditability and service consistency across jurisdictions.

The appointment therefore reflects a broader pattern across the RegTech sector. As firms mature, operational leadership becomes central to sustaining credibility with global asset managers and regulated institutions. The combination of regulatory domain expertise with disciplined operational execution is increasingly expected, particularly where solutions support core compliance workflows.

Funds-Axis positions the move as reinforcing its commitment to “building institutional-grade solutions – combining regulatory expertise, scalable technology, and operational excellence to solve increasing global regulatory compliance requirements.” Read in context, that commitment translates into a governance and delivery challenge: ensuring that product innovation is matched by operational control.

For Funds-Axis, the arrival of a COO at this stage suggests that the next phase is less about launch announcements and more about structured expansion — embedding process, scaling responsibly and aligning platform growth with the operational demands of a global client base.

UK Appoints Barclays Policy Chief Katharine Braddick as Banking Watchdog

Katharine Braddick will succeed Sam Woods when his term concludes in June 2026 as the next Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation and Chief Executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). The role carries direct responsibility for supervising banks, building societies, insurers and major investment firms. The role is also charged with shaping how prudential standards evolve in a more explicitly growth-oriented policy climate.

Braddick arrives from Barclays, where she serves as Group Head of Strategic Policy and senior adviser to the CEO. Her background spans both the private sector and senior public service, including time at HM Treasury as Director of Financial Services with responsibility for international and European dossiers. That combination—City practitioner and policy architect—is likely to shape expectations of how the PRA balances resilience with competitiveness.

The appointment signals that regulators are expected to be “robust on resilience and ambitious on growth”, reflecting Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s remit to support investment, lending and innovation while maintaining standards. In practice, this builds on a series of measures already advanced by the PRA including the removal of 37 reporting templates — a change projected to save firms around £26 million annually.

Chancellor Reeves described Braddick as “an accomplished pro-business leader with the experience to keep our financial system safe while backing the investment and lending that drives growth,”  adding that “She understands the City and regulation and will help ensure the UK remains one of the best places in the world to do business.” Reeves also acknowledged Woods’ tenure, stating: “I want to thank Sam Woods for his dedicated service and the strength he has brought to the UK’s prudential regime. Katharine will build on that record—keeping standards high while driving a competitive, growth-focused approach to regulation.”

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey struck a similar tone, saying: “I am very happy to welcome Katharine Braddick back to the Bank as Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation.” He noted that “Katharine has vast experience both in the public and private sectors, and I am confident that she will lead the PRA with great ambition and skill, maintaining strong regulatory foundations to underpin a growing financial sector and a thriving economy.” He also thanked Woods “for his many years of hard work at the PRA”.

Braddick will take up the role on 1 July for a five-year term. As Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation, she will sit on the Prudential Regulation Committee, the Financial Policy Committee and the Court of the Bank of England, positioning her at the centre of both micro-prudential supervision and macro-prudential policy deliberation.

Broadridge Appoints Frank Troise as President of Global Capital Markets

Broadridge Financial Solutions has announced the immediate appointment of Frank Troise as President of Global Capital Markets. Reporting to Tom Carey, President of Global Technology & Operations, Troise will join the company’s Executive Leadership Team. This leadership transition occurs as the industry experiences a significant convergence of trading, financing, and post-trade services across both traditional and digital financial ecosystems.

Since joining the firm in 2024 as Head of Trading and Connectivity Solutions, Troise has been instrumental in enhancing Broadridge’s platform capabilities. His work has focused on driving strategic growth and expanding front-office offerings, specifically within execution management, analytics, and algorithmic trading.

Troise brings extensive executive experience to the role, having previously served as CEO of Pico Quantitative Trading and ITG. His background also includes leading J.P. Morgan’s global Execution Services business, where he managed cross-asset trading operations. His appointment is intended to strengthen Broadridge’s position as a provider of integrated technology solutions for global capital markets.

Liquidnet Appoints Michael Gibbons as Global Head of Listed Derivatives Business Development

Liquidnet, the technology-driven agency execution specialist, has appointed Michael Gibbons as Global Head of Listed Derivatives Business Development. Joining from Morgan Stanley, where he spent 12 years leading electronic futures sales and coverage, Gibbons brings nearly two decades of experience in multi-asset execution. He has previously held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, focusing on electronic derivatives markets and execution strategies.

Based in New York, Gibbons reports to Marianna Rayetskyy, Global Head of Listed Derivatives. In this new role, he is responsible for driving Liquidnet’s global expansion strategy for listed derivatives. His remit includes deepening client relationships across various geographies and asset classes, while identifying emerging trading opportunities within the futures and options markets.

Throughout his career, Gibbons has demonstrated expertise in the adoption of algorithmic execution and Transaction Cost Analysis (TCA) tools. At Liquidnet, he will leverage this technical background to scale the firm’s listed derivatives offering. This appointment underscores Liquidnet’s commitment to strengthening its electronic trading capabilities and expanding its footprint within the global cross-asset landscape.