Jan 10, 2012
Liquidnet boosts senior management team
Liquidnet has appointed a new COO and head of sales
and trading operations in the US as the block trading platform seeks to boost
its revenues.
Effective immediately, John Kelly, formerly of Goldman
Sachs, takes the position of COO, based in New York and reporting to Liquidnet
founder and CEO Seth Merrin. Kelly will be responsible for driving revenue
across all of Liquidnet’s businesses globally.
Kelly most recently worked with John L. Thornton,
former president of Goldman Sachs, providing global advisory services to
private investors and management. He has also held positions at Société
Générale in the US, including as head of capital markets, COO of its US
investment banking business and head of portfolio management for SG Americas,
Rockefeller Family & Associates, Bear Stearns and The First Boston
Corporation.
“John possesses the skills and diverse experience that
we have been looking for in a COO,” said Merrin. “With more than three decades
of leadership roles in equity capital markets, investment banking, and trading,
I look forward to John playing a significant role in helping us enter new
business segments, expand our capital markets business and accelerate the
growth of our institutional trading network globally.”
“I am excited to join the Liquidnet team at this
particularly dynamic time in the market. One of the hallmarks of the Liquidnet
culture is the conviction that innovation can change the way business is done,
even in the face of significant obstacles,” added Kelly.
Meanwhile, Lugene Forte has been hired to lead
Liquidnet’s sales and trading businesses in the US. Forte will report to Kelly
and have oversight of the US equities business. Forte’s most recent role was at
agency broker ITG as senior vice president of transition services and
algorithmic trading services. She was also one of the founders of fixed income
broker dealer First Principle and has served as chief financial officer and
head of institutional sales at independent reseach firm Autranet.
“Lugene and her team will deliver enhanced and
solution-focused offerings that continue to give our members a competitive
advantage over their peers,” said Kelly.
Anish Puaar
+44 (0)20 7397 3817
anish.puaar@thetrade.ltd.uk