US stock exchange Direct Edge has appointed former Nasdaq OMX director Bryan Christian as its new head of sales.
In his new role at Direct Edge, Christian will oversee all sales activity, reporting to COO Bryan Harkins.
Prior to joining Direct Edge, Christian served as managing director of sales at Nasdaq Stock Exchange, where he worked closely with both Harkins and Direct Edge CEO William O'Brien while they were senior leaders at Nasdaq OMX.
Before working at Nasdaq OMX, Christian was the global connectivity manager at agency broker Bloomberg Tradebook for nearly four years. He began his London career in 1995 at Merrill Lynch International.
Direct Edge is currently in competition with rival exchange BATS to be the third largest US stock exchange, after the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq OMX, respectively. In December 2010, the bourse made a trio of high-speed upgrades to its technology platform, in a bid to steal a march on its rivals