Obituaries
Robert "Bucky" Isaacson, a pioneer in the managed futures industry, passed away on 5 January. In 1969, he helped to develop one of the first computerised trading systems and co-founded one of the first commodity funds. He was involved in the managed futures industry ever since. Bucky served as a former member of the board of directors of the National Futures Association and the National Introducing Brokers Association.
MarketVoice is saddened to report the passing of Helen Nicol, who was the head of product at CloudMargin. In a statement CloudMargin said: “Helen was more than just a leader and an expert in her field – she was a mentor, a champion of growth, and a constant source of support for everyone around her. Helen had an incredible work ethic and the ability to juggle anything that came her way. She led with integrity and professionalism and took immense pride in the work she and her teammates delivered. She had a rare gift for bringing out the best in those around her – not only through her sharp industry and product expertise but through the kindness, encouragement, and generosity she shared with others. We will miss her dearly and will carry her spirit forward. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
People news
Erik Tim Müller, the long-serving CEO of Eurex Clearing, has announced he will step down in March when his current three-year term expires. He will leave Deutsche Börse Group by the end of the year to pursue “new entrepreneurial opportunities.” Müller will leave Deutsche Börse after more than 27 years with the group, in which time he has held responsibility for group treasury, corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions. He joined the executive board of Eurex Clearing in 2013 before becoming head of the German clearinghouse in 2016.
Eurex Frankfurt has appointed Quinten Koekenbier as chief technology officer, replacing Wolfgang Eholzer who retired at the end of 2024. Koekenbier will assume this position as part of his new role as head of derivatives and cash trading IT at Deutsche Börse. He joins Deutsche Börse after 15 years at Flow Traders, where he was global head of technology, global head of trading performance and a member of the executive committee.
Cboe Global Markets has appointed Meaghan Dugan as head of US options. Previously, Dugan was head of options at the New York Stock Exchange, overseeing the NYSE Amex Options and NYSE Arca Options markets. Prior to joining NYSE, she spent 11 years at Bank of America, most recently as head of product for US electronic options and global future algorithms. Previously, she worked for Morgan Stanley, originally in San Francisco as a lead market maker in the automated market making business, then later in MSET, the bank's electronic trading offering. Her appointment follows the recent appointments of Steven Jorgensen, who joined Cboe Global Markets as head of derivatives sales for Europe and the Middle East, and Jason Beck, who joined the exchange as senior director of derivatives sales, head of Florida and US sell side.
Cboe Global Markets has also expanded its team in the Asia Pacific region with the appointments of sales directors Hiroshi Okitsu in Tokyo and James Paik and Lydia Stringer in Hong Kong and Vincent Wang as sales manager in Singapore. The APAC sales team is led by Sharon Ang, senior director, head of derivatives sales, APAC clients. Cboe says the team is focused on addressing client demand in APAC, a new and fast-growing market for the exchange’s derivatives products.
In addition, Cboe recently expanded its derivatives market intelligence team under Mandy Xu, appointing Henry Schwartz as vice president, market intelligence, and Ed Tom as senior director, market intelligence, with plans to add one more hire in the APAC region.
London Stock Exchange Group has announced that Susi de Verdelon has been appointed CEO of LCH Limited, its London-based clearinghouse. She reports to Daniel Maguire, group head, LSEG Markets and CEO of LCH Group. The appointment follows the departure of Isabelle Girolami, who had held the position since November 2019 and left last year to join NatWest as head of corporate and institutional banking. de Verdelon joined LCH Limited in 2017 and was group head of LCH SwapClear and Listed Rates. Prior to LCH Limited, she held a number of sales and strategy roles in the securities division as a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
JPMorgan’s co-head of global markets Jason Sippel is leaving the bank after 23 years to join hedge fund Rokos Capital Management. Sippel will become the London-based hedge fund’s deputy chief investment officer and global head of markets, reporting directly to founder Chris Rokos. The move leaves Pranav Thakur as the sole head of JPMorgan’s trading unit, after he and Sippel were promoted to run the division together in a wider management reshuffle last year.
Market maker Optiver has appointed Lance Braunstein as global chief technology officer, effective 1 May 2025. He will join as a member of the executive committee and partner, based in the New York office. In this newly created role, he reports to CEO Jan Boomaars. Most recently, he served as head of Aladdin engineering at BlackRock. Prior to that, he was chief information officer at E*Trade. He has also held senior technology leadership roles at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Equity derivatives clearing organisation OCC has appointed Matt Rathbun as chief security officer-elect. He will replace current CSO Mark Morrison following his upcoming retirement. Rathbun has more than 25 years of experience in information technology and systems engineering, most recently as CSO for Two Sigma, the New York-based hedge fund. Prior to that, he was CSO at Microsoft Azure Global, senior vice president, cyber security engineering at First Information Technology Services, an IT manager at the Bank of Washington, and a systems analyst at Siemens Business Services.
The London Metal Exchange has appointed Harriet Hunnable as independent non-executive director of the board. Hunnable was previously responsible for financial benchmark policy at the UK Financial Conduct Authority and led reform assessments of the integrity of major financial market benchmarks with the Bank of England, IOSCO and the international Financial Stability Board. Martin Fraenkel, LME independent non-executive director, is stepping down from the role to focus on other commitments.
Clear Street, a New York-headquartered financial technology and brokerage company, has made a series of hires as part of its continued expansion in the UK. The appointments include Tarquin Orchard, who joins as global head of event-driven strategies; Matthew Cyzer as head of markets, execution; Phillip Hylander as managing director, execution; Stuart Holt, managing director, client distribution and strategy, equities; and Luke Holmes as managing director, sales trading. Orchard was most recently head of international alternative equity strategies at Cowen. Cyzer was most recently CEO of Cowen's execution services, and head of European global markets for TD Securities. Hylander was previously CEO of OREGEN Technologies. Holt was head of pan-European sales at Berenberg, and Holmes was previously head of equity sales trading - US clients at Kepler Cheuvreux. Ed Tilly, CEO of Clear Street said that establishing a strong presence in the UK was a natural step in the company’s global growth.
Regtech company Droit has named Somerset Pheasant as chief strategy officer, a newly created position. Pheasant joins the company from Goldman Sachs, where he was most recently managing director, global head of strategic investing, Europe. He also previously served as a member of the Droit board between 2016 and 2023.
