Global head of equity trading at Janus Henderson, Dan Royal, accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from The TRADE last night at the first ever Leaders in Trading New York awards ceremony.
Surrounded by colleagues and friends from across the industry, Royal took to the stage at Chelsea Piers to accept his award.
After almost 40 years in the industry, Royal is set to retire at the end of December, handing the reins to his successor Hugh Spencer.
Royal needs little introduction. Beginning his career in 1984 as an FX trading manager at Cargill, based in Chicago, his career spans four decades.
After 10 years in his first role, Royal moved to SJO Asset Management where he spent two years as a senior global trader based in Geneva. He then headed to John W. Henry & Company where he spent four years in the same role based out of Florida.
It was in 2001 that Royal first joined Janus Henderson. After a five year stint at the firm in a senior equity and foreign exchange trading role he left for a brief interlude at Artisan Partners where he spent just under two years as director of global equity trading and operations. He re-joined Janus Henderson in 2008 and, as they say, the rest is history.
Royal has been global head of equity trading for Janus Henderson Investors since 2017 and despite his now-lofty title as global head he continues to trade both US securities and foreign exchange for the firm.
This ethos is something that he has instilled in his traders, including his now successor, Spencer.
Alongside his extensive history serving on the buy-side, Royal has remained committed to contributing to various industry associations throughout his career. He is currently a member of the National Organisation of Investment Professions and of the IEX Buy-Side Trading Advisory Committee. He has also previously spent periods of his career serving on the NYSE/ICE and NASDAQ Institutional Trader Advisory Committees, the FINRA Market Regulation Committee and the National and Denver Security Traders Association.
The TRADE would like to extend a hearty congratulations to Royal and wish him a happy retirement.