Chicago-based Allston Holdings, parent of proprietary electronic trading firm Allston Trading, appointed Jill Sommers, former Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to its board of managers. Sommers served as Commissioner of the CFTC from August 2007 until July 2013. At the CFTC, Sommers served as Chairman and Designated Federal Official of the Commission's Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC.) Prior to CFTC, Sommers was the policy director and head of government affairs for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. She began her career in 1991 as a Washington-based intern for U.S. Senator Robert J. Dole (R-KS).
KCG Holdings, the new firm birthed from Knight Capital and GETCO, has hired market pro and former Credit Suisse alum Phil Mackintosh to lead its new quantitatively-driven market commentary service for its trading clients. Mackintosh, a market professional with 20 years of experience, comes onboard as KCG's head of trading strategy and analysis. Mackintosh comes from Credit Suisse, where he most recently was a managing director and global head of trading strategy. In his new role, he will be responsible for researching, publishing and consulting with KCG's trading clients on topics related to transaction costs, trading strategies, market structure, ETFs and index events, among other content. He reports to Greg Tusar, co-head of global execution services and platforms.
Two Sigma Securities, the broker-dealer affiliate of the investment manager Two Sigma Investments, hired Simon Yates as its new chief executive officer. Yates, a market veteran with 22 years experience, comes from Citi, where spent the last four years and was most recently global head of equity derivatives. Prior to that, he did a 13 year stint at Credit Suisse where he was global head of equity derivatives and co-head EMEA equities for four years. Also, he spent nine years as a derivatives trader at Credit Suisse. Yates also was an equity derivatives trader at JP Morgan for four years in London. Two Sigma Securities makes a market in more than 7,800 symbols.
Agency-only broker and technology firm ITG hired Tim Reilly as its new head of electronic sales. He joined the firm as a managing director, is based in New York and reports to chief executive officer Bob Gasser. Currently on gardening leave, Reilly will take the reins in late August, and he will be responsible for U.S. sales efforts across the Electronic Brokerage, Platforms and Analytics product groups. Reilly comes from Citigroup Global Markets in New York, where he served as head of Electronic Execution Sales and previously led the U.S. Alternative Execution Group and the U.S. Portfolio Sales Trading Desk. He started his career at Salomon Brothers in 1993.
Exchange operator NasdaqOMX appointed Thomas Wittman as executive vice president, and global head of equities. Wittman will oversee the global cash equities and equity derivatives businesses. Prior to this, he was senior vice president, head of U.S. equities and derivatives and president of NASDAQ OMX PHLX. Wittman was responsible for the management and operations of NasdaqOMX's three U.S. equities markets, three U.S. options markets, and the futures market. Formerly vice president of U.S. Options, he led the team in transitioning the NasdaOMX PHLX platform from an open outcry, floor-based specialist system to an electronic, hybrid system. He also drove the development of the NASDAQ Options Market (NOM) and the launch of NasdaqOMX BX Options (BX Options). He came to Nasdaq via its acquisition of PHLX, formerly The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, in 2008. At PHLX, he supported the electronic equity trading business, equity options business, PBOT futures business and the supporting surveillance and back office systems. He reports to Hans-Ole Jochumsen, president, global trading & market services, a position he recently acquired.
Dallas-based Capital Institutional Services (CAPIS) added Chrystal Badillo to their equity trading desk as a senior equity trader. Badillo has more than 25 years of global trading experience. Most recently, Badillo was a sales person for CAPIS. Prior to joining CAPIS, Badillo spent 11 years as a Senior Vice President, US Equity Sales Trading at Raymond James. Badillo also has previous experience at Knight Securities, Robert Flemings, ING Barings, CS First Boston, and Bank Paribas.
Canid Asset Management, a Silicon Valley-based boutique asset management firm, hired Fred Hughes as a partner and technical director. Hughes has more than twenty years of experience in financial markets, including implementing trading technology systems, proprietary trading, risk management, and business building on small and large platforms. Most recently, he founded Intrinsic Management in 2014. Prior to that, he started Systematic Financial in 2006 where he built and managed software-based trading models that focus on large cap companies listed on the on the NYSE and Nasdaq markets.
Lime Brokerage, a Wedbush Company, appointed its chief executive officer, Rich Jablonski, its board of directors. Jablonski, who has more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, will strategically expand the capabilities of the technology providing firm and continue the firm's commitment to its diverse client base of traders, hedge funds, asset managers and broker-dealers.
Mischler Financial, a service-disabled veteran and minority-owned broker-dealer, has hired Eric Michalisin as its new director, International Equities Sales/Trading. Michalisin, pictured with his wife Danielle, is charged with growing the firm's Pacific Rim trading business and helping clients trade local equities and ADRs. He comes from Royal Bank of Scotland where he spent the last three years, most recently as director, International Equities Sales/Trading. Prior to that, he served in a similar role at for seven years at JP Morgan Chase. Michalisin began his career in 1996 as a Far East Equities Sales/Trader for Robert Fleming, Inc. and stayed with its predecessor Jardine Fleming Securities through 2001. He reports to Joe Digiammo, head of global equities.
