The TRADE is delighted to announce the shortlisted nominees for the Industry Person of the Year Award 2023.
Now in its second year, this award is designed to celebrate those individuals who have made a significant impact on their own organisation and, equally, the industry externally, with a commitment to bettering and future proofing the markets for years to come.
Shortlisted individuals are repeated contributors to discussion whether that be through panels, associations or schemes to support the next generation joining the financial services industry.
The winner will be decided by a live industry vote at The TRADE’s Leaders in Trading gala awards night on 8 November. Congratulations to this year’s shortlisted nominees!
Industry Person of the Year 2023 shortlist:
Seema Arora, managing director, head of execution sales, Instinet Europe
Champion of The TRADE’s Rising Stars of Trading and Execution award scheme, Instinet Europe’s Seema Arora needs little introduction with an extensive financial career spanning more than 25 years.
Beginning her career at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as director and head of portfolio sales trading in 1997, she later went on to spend six years at JP Morgan, initially as an executive director and head of execution sales responsible for electronic and portfolio trading and ETFs. She later took on a role at the bank as executive director of investor flow sales responsible for the introduction of its derivative product to its UK client base.
Prior to joining Instinet Europe, Arora spent several years at Kepler Cheuvreux also in senior execution sales, program and portfolio trading focused roles. She joined Instinet Europe in 2019 as managing director and head of execution sales, her current role where she is responsible for the growth of new and existing client revenue.
Alongside her role within the markets, Arora is vocal in her support of the next generation of individuals entering the financial services industry through participation in intern programs and the Rising Stars initiative, in partnership with The TRADE.
Eleanor Beasley, chief operating officer for EMEA equity execution services, Goldman Sachs
Chief operating officer of EMEA equity execution services, Eleanor Beasley, joined Goldman Sachs to manage its new-look market structure team in 2019. She assumed the role at the bank after a 15-year stint with Morgan Stanley where she held several roles, most recently head of market structure for clients.
In her current role for Goldman Sachs, she is responsible for ensuring the operational efficiency of the business, managing relationships with exchanges and ensuring the business and its clients are well-positioned for developments within the European market structure. She began her career as an analyst at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in 2002.
Beasley is a committed expert and thought leader in market structure – an essential tool for any institution amid the many regulatory shifts taking place in the market as of late – and alongside her role at Goldman Sachs she is also chair of the AFME Securities Trading Committee, as well as sitting on the board of Cboe Europe and participating in several exchange and industry advisory groups.
Chris Jackson, global head of equities strategy and head of equities, EMEA, Liquidnet
Global head of equities strategy and head of EMEA equities for Liquidnet, Chris Jackson has an extensive equity trading career spanning over 25 years. He began his career in program trading sales at London-based investment bank SG Warburg.
Jackson later spent 12 years at Merrill Lynch where he held a number of roles in both London and New York, most recently as head of sales across programme, transitions and electronic trading for the EMEA region. Jackson left Merrill Lynch in 2009 to join Citi as its head of execution sales for EMEA before joining Liquidnet in 2015. He served in a variety of senior equities roles until his most recent one as global head of equity strategy and head of equities for EMEA. He is also responsible for Liquidnet’s equity product strategy. Jackson played a pivotal role during the acquisition of Liquidnet by TP ICAP Group, ensuring a smooth transition during the integration process.
Alongside his various equities roles within the market, Jackson has previously been co-chair of the FIX committee for EMEA, an advisor to the UK Government office for science on the future of computer trading in financial markets and a founding member of the OpenTCA initiative to promote transparency and standards in transaction cost analysis (TCA). In April, he took part in a charity bike ride home from the TradeTech Europe 2023 conference in Paris in aid of Farms for City Children.
Stéphane Marie-Françoise, director, multi-asset trader, Unigestion
Senior vice president and multi-asset trader at Unigestion, Stéphane Marie-Françoise, has an extensive financial markets career spanning more than 20 years. Beginning his career at Dexia Securities as a financial analyst assistant in 2002 he has since gone on to serve at CPR Asset Management, Amundi and Unigestion.
After joining CPR Asset Management in 2002 in a middle-office role, Marie-Françoise rose through the ranks, joining the dealing desk in 2005 in an equities program trading and derivatives position. He later took responsibility for the dealing desk in 2007, managing a team of three traders. Marie-Françoise moved to Amundi as a senior execution trader in 2012 before eventually joining Unigestion in 2013 in a multi-asset capability as a vice president and multi-asset trader. He was promoted to senior vice president in 2018, later taking on his current role as director and multi asset trader.
Marie-Françoise was recognised as one of The TRADE’s Rising Stars of Trading and Execution in 2017. He is a continued thought leader in the industry, particularly in the multi-asset sphere, and was subsequently awarded the Buy-side Market Structure Expert of the Year award at Leaders in Trading 2022 by The TRADE after an industry vote.
Matt Mcloughlin, chief commercial officer and partner, Liontrust Asset Management
Former TRADE Rising Star of Trading Execution, Matt McLoughlin has nearly two decades of financial markets experience, including the last eight years he has spent at Liontrust Asset Management. He began his career at the UK’s HM Treasury, before moving to AIG Investments to manage fixed income funds.
He subsequently spent six years as a senior trader at hedge fund RAB Capital before moving to Legal & General Investment Management to trade global equities and derivatives. Following this, in 2015, he shifted to Liontrust to run the trading desk. He assumed the role of chief commercial officer at Liontrust in April, now overseeing the development and commercial strategies of the Group as well as maintaining oversight of the trading desk. Under his stewardship, Liontrust was awarded the Multi-Asset Trading Desk of the Year and Mid-Cap Trading Desk of the Year by The TRADE in 2022 and 2017 respectively.
McLoughlin is a committed contributor to industry discussion and to the development of new talent in the markets. Alongside his core roles, McLoughlin is a director and board member of The Plato Partnership, a member of the Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Management Committee and a member of Liontrust Product & Distribution Committee, as well as having numerous committee memberships at the UK Investment Association.