Liquidnet has hired a former BlackRock direct, Chris Dennis, to run its US fixed income sales ahead of the launch of its bond dark pool.
Last month, the institutional block trading specialist announced it will soon launch a fixed income dark pool, after aquiring fixed income firm Vega-Chi in 2014.
Dennis was formerly director of investment grade and high-yield credit trading at BlackRock. He also spent stints at Lehman Brothers, First Boston and Credit Suisse.
He will be based in New York and report directly to Constantinos Antoniades, head of fixed income.
Dennis said he will draw on his buy-side experience for the role, adding: ““I understand firsthand the challenges that bond traders face and the need for technology to make the process more efficient. Liquidnet has a history of driving innovation to solve industry challenges and they will continue to do that with the launch of the first dark pool for corporate bonds.
“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to further build out our community of market participants who will benefit from this solution. The platform is incredibly simple to use and, for the first time, will bring all the liquidity together in one place.”