TradingTech Insight People
Liquidnet Bolsters Americas Equities Franchise with Senior Hires
Liquidnet has announced a trio of senior appointments aimed at accelerating the growth of its Equities business in the Americas. The hires support the firm’s strategy to broaden its regional presence, diversify trading capabilities, and strengthen client relationships.
Mark Turner joins as Co-Head of Equities Sales and Trading for the Americas, bringing 30 years of industry experience, including a senior role at Instinet. Hillary Budds takes on the role of Head of US Crossing, leveraging her background in block trading and venue development. David Ramirez also joins as a senior member of the High-Touch/Program Trading team, recognised for his revenue performance at Instinet. These appointments mark a significant step in Liquidnet’s commitment to expanding its equities franchise.
Broadridge Appoints Kenneth MacHarg as Global Head of Futures and Options Trading
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has named Kenneth MacHarg as Managing Director and Global Head of Futures and Options (F&O) Trading, effective 23 June. In his new role, MacHarg will oversee the commercial strategy and development of Broadridge’s next-generation F&O platform, a SaaS solution offering global order and execution management for futures commission merchants and agency brokers.
MacHarg brings extensive experience in execution and clearing of global futures and options, having most recently served as Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Securities. His previous roles include senior positions at Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. Based in New York, MacHarg will report to Frank Troise, President of Broadridge Trading & Connectivity Solutions.
Validus Risk Management Appoints Daniel Johnson as Chief Technology Officer
Validus Risk Management has named Daniel Johnson as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), furthering its commitment to technology-driven growth. Based in London and reporting directly to CEO Kevin Lester, Johnson will be responsible for shaping and executing the company’s technology strategy during a phase of international expansion and product development.
Johnson brings over 15 years of experience in technology leadership roles, most recently serving as Chief Digital Platforms Officer at Hargreaves Lansdown. His background includes CTO positions at several software companies, where he focused on scaling operations and enhancing efficiency. This appointment follows a $45 million growth equity investment from FTV Capital in February 2025, which is aimed at supporting Validus’s expansion across APAC, US, and European markets, and fuelling innovation in its technology and product offerings.
LSEG Appoints Nick Rustad as Group Head of LCH SwapClear and Listed Rates
The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has announced the appointment of Nick Rustad as the new Group Head of LCH SwapClear and Listed Rates. In his new role, Rustad will be responsible for overseeing performance and growth across these clearing services, while maintaining their operational resilience. He will report to Susi de Verdelon, CEO of LCH Limited, and will join her leadership team.
Rustad brings extensive industry experience, including over two decades at JPMorgan, where he led the Global Futures and Derivatives Clearing business. Most recently, he served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Taula Capital Management. His previous roles also include a term as chairman of the FIA Board of Directors and a stint as a non-executive Director at LCH Limited.
SimCorp Appoints Dean McIntyre as Chief Commercial Officer
SimCorp, the global financial technology subsidiary of Deutsche Börse Group, has promoted Dean McIntyre to Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. In his new role, McIntyre will oversee global commercial operations, including data and operations management, frontline commercial teams, and marketing, to enhance support for client-facing teams worldwide. He will continue to report to Chief Revenue Officer Oliver Johnson.
McIntyre joined SimCorp in January 2023 as Director of Strategy and later served as Global Head of Commercial. His career includes senior positions at Bloomberg, FactSet, Northern Trust, Schroders, and UBS Global Asset Management. This appointment follows a series of leadership promotions at SimCorp in 2025, with Ronan Donnelly becoming Chief Operations Officer in April and Keith Haberlin named Global Head of Business Services, Sales in February.
valantic FSA Appoints Dr. Holger Wohlenberg as CEO to Lead Next Growth Phase
Digital automation solutions provider valantic FSA has named Dr. Holger Wohlenberg as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 June 2025. Dr. Wohlenberg joins with significant expertise in finance, technology, and data, having previously held senior leadership positions at Deutsche Börse Group where he helped expand its data and technology businesses.
His appointment signals valantic FSA’s strategic push to further scale its operations across Europe and globally, offering advanced workflow automation and integration solutions for financial markets and services firms. Dr. Wohlenberg succeeds Joachim Lauterbach, who steps down after a decade during which he established valantic FSA as a multi-solution provider serving over 100 customers in 18 countries. The leadership change comes as financial market participants increasingly seek scalable, intelligent digital solutions to manage complex operational and regulatory workflows.
Taskize Appoints David Williams as CFO to Strengthen Leadership Team
Taskize, the Euroclear-owned fintech and leading investment operations collaboration platform, has named David Williams as its new Chief Financial Officer. Williams joins with over 15 years of financial leadership experience, having held senior roles at EY, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, and most recently, Janus Henderson.
Based in London, Williams will oversee Taskize’s financial operations and deliver strategic financial insights to both internal and external stakeholders. His appointment comes amid Taskize’s ongoing global expansion, with the company now supporting over 600 financial institutions across 88 countries. This leadership addition follows the recent appointments of Helen Adair as Chief Product Officer and Alfred Escobedo as Head of Business Development for LATAM, marking another milestone in Taskize’s growth journey.
Digital Asset Appoints Jonathan Isaac as Chief Marketing Officer to Drive Canton Network Growth
Digital Asset has appointed Jonathan Isaac as Chief Marketing Officer, tasking him with leading global marketing across brand strategy, product marketing, and communications. His primary objective will be to elevate the profile and adoption of the Canton Network, the decentralised infrastructure platform tailored for financial markets.
Isaac brings more than 20 years of marketing expertise, with prior roles including CMO at CoinMarketCap and Head of Marketing at Gemini. His background spans senior positions at global agencies such as JWT, Anomaly, and Digitas, where he led campaigns for major brands like the BBC, Sony, and Coca-Cola. He has also served as a fractional CMO for various fintech and biotech firms, focusing on brand reinvention and growth strategies.
Broadridge Appoints Tina Joshi as Head of Securities Finance and Collateral Management for North America
Broadridge Financial Solutions has named Tina Joshi as Head of Securities Finance and Collateral Management (SFCM) for North America. Based in New York and reporting to Darren Crowther, Joshi will oversee client delivery, business development, and operational management across Broadridge’s full SFCM portfolio. This includes automated support for securities lending, borrowing, and repo transactions.
Bringing over 20 years of experience from firms such as Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, Joshi’s appointment supports Broadridge’s strategy to simplify trading and meet evolving market demands. The move is part of a wider effort to enhance the company’s leadership in multi-asset, multi-workflow trading and reinforce its commitment to North American clients amid regulatory and industry changes.
United Fintech Appoints Deepak Nair as Chief Operating Officer
United Fintech has named Deepak Nair as its new Chief Operating Officer, joining the Executive Leadership Team. In this role, Nair will oversee the development and execution of the firm’s global operational strategy, focusing on scalability, efficiency, and alignment across its fintech platform and partner network.
Nair brings over 20 years of experience from roles at Virgin Media O2, McKinsey & Company, UBS, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs. His background includes large-scale transformation initiatives, post-merger integration, and operational strategy. At Virgin Media O2, he led enterprise-wide restructuring for a 15,000-strong workforce and built a data-driven transformation office. Based in London, Nair will report directly to United Fintech’s founder and CEO, Christian Frahm.