The executive at the helm of Knight Capital Group’s media relations during its near-death experience last year has become a partner at a New York communications firm.
Kara Fitzsimmons, who recently left Knight after 12 years, is now a partner at New York-based MFD Communications LLC. She was Knight’s managing director for media relations and helped guide the company’s public response to the events surrounding the August 1 software bug that led to a flood of erroneous orders being sent onto national exchanges.
“It’s very exciting. I guess now I’m my own boss,” Fitzsimmons told Traders.
MFD was founded in 2011.The firm offers strategic communications consulting, media training and presentation coaching to executives in the financial services and technology industries, among others. The firm counsels companies on how to develop relationships with journalists.
“Kara’s perspective and experience, including her recent work in the financial markets and technology sector, will be invaluable to our clients and our firm,” said Melissa Daly, MFD founding partner. Daly is a former media spokesperson for Lipper and Goldman Sachs.
“I’ve known Kara for 15 years and am, very lucky to have her,” she added.
A former Dow Jones reporter, Fitzsimmons has 20 years of experience in media and public relations. Fitzsimmons said she had been considering going off on her own for some time. The events of last year at Knight led her to re-consider her career, she said. Knight’s massive algorithmic trading error last summer triggered a process that led to its purchase by Getco, a Chicago market making firm.
