London Reporting House announces Godfried De Vidts joining as senior adviser
London Reporting House (LRH) has appointed Godfried De Vidts as a senior adviser ahead of its launch in November 2023. De Vidts will be drawing on his many years in the repo industry to advise LRH on product and client strategy, particularly in Continental Europe.
De Vidts advises on European financial and political issues. He maintains regular contact with all the European Central Banks and Treasuries, the European Commission and European Parliament. Since December 2018 he has been a senior adviser to the International Capital Market Association’s (ICMA’s) European Repo & Collateral Council.
He was Director of European Affairs for NEX Group, created out of ICAP until October 2018. Prior to joining ICAP in 2006 his last task at Fortis bank was global liquidity and collateral management while involved prior to the acquisition of Generale Bank in various trading activities. He has spent 10 years in Bahrain at KB OBU, branch of Kredietbank Brussels where his career started as control officer between front & back-office.
Danny Corrigan, LRH CEO and co-founder said in a statement: “Godfried’s wealth of knowledge and experience and his connections within the sector will be invaluable to the business as we move forward in launching our services which provide our ‘give-to-get‘ market participants with unparalleled insight and analytics into the EU and UK repo markets. We are delighted to welcome Godfried as a Senior Adviser and know he will be a great addition to our team.”
De Vidts said in a statement: “I consider it my professional duty to educate the market on important innovation and data opportunities. What the London Reporting House has developed will help transform the market and I look forward to advising them as they launch this exciting new service.”
SmartStream appoints Akber Jaffer as CEO
SmartStream announced the appointment of Akber Jaffer as its new chief executive officer. He’s recently worked in senior leadership roles at Finastra and Colt Technology Services and has spent several years at start-up and scaled software and technology businesses.
Khalifa AlDaboos, SmartStream’s Board chair, said in a statement: “His wide-ranging experience and track record of success make him ideally suited to lead SmartStream. I am confident that under his leadership, our company will continue to flourish.”
Haytham Kaddoura, former CEO, said in a statement: “His extensive experience and vision align perfectly with the company’s mission and he will drive the development of new technologies to meet the demands of the industry.” Kaddoura will join SmartStream’s Board.
Broadridge announces senior hire in FCS unit
Broadridge announced a team expansion in the investment funds industry with the senior hire of John Dowdall as head of European Regulatory Intelligence in Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions (FCS). Among his experience, Dowdall was founder of the regulatory data exchange Silverfinch.
FCS provides a digital platform that supports the life cycle of fund data, documents and regulatory reporting for the global asset management industry, managing and distributing data for over 550 global fund groups and supports over 30 million fund document and data requests each year, in over 35 languages.
“John has over 25 years’ experience working in financial institutions and consultancies covering data solutions and regulation with engagements including MiFID, PRIIPs, Solvency II, SFDR , SDR, corporate social responsibility, and retail disclosures for the UK and EU,” said Stephen Johnston, head of Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions, in a statement. “He will be responsible for leading our efforts in monitoring regulatory developments and helping clients navigate this evolving landscape.”
DTCC appoints Brian Steele as president of Clearing & Securities Services
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced the appointment of Brian Steele as managing director and president for Clearing & Securities Services. Steele will join the DTCC Management Committee, Management Risk Committee and the Investment Management Committee. He will also become chair of the ITP Board of Managers.
Steele will be responsible for leading all DTCC Clearing and Securities Services businesses, including Equity Clearing and Settlement, Fixed Income Clearing, Wealth Management Services, Asset Services and Institutional Trade Processing (ITP). He will report to Frank La Salla, DTCC’s president, CEO and director.
Steele has nearly 20 years of experience in a diverse range of senior-level roles at Goldman Sachs, including most recently as managing director in the Americas Client Coverage Group and global head of Client & Market Solutions. Prior to that, he served as a senior leader in a number of key operations-related roles, including Global Head of Market Structure Solutions; Global Head of Equities Execution Services and Settlements; Global Head of Digital Transformation for the Operations Division; and Global Head of Market Solutions for the Operations Division.
La Salla said in a statement: “We’re pleased to have a seasoned executive like Brian bring his expertise in clearance, settlement, middle office operations, digital transformation and client engagement to DTCC to lead these critically important businesses. Brian’s deep understanding of client needs and his focus on client experience, combined with his strategic approach, strong industry relationships and appreciation for DTCC’s role in the industry, will enable him to lead key initiatives while driving innovation in the development and delivery of new solutions.”
Steele said in a statement: “I’m excited to join DTCC to build upon its leadership role in the industry. It’s a great opportunity to use my experience to advance initiatives that will strengthen market structure, develop new products and capabilities that address industry pain points and protect the stability of the global financial system, and support clients as they navigate a challenging and fast-moving environment.”
Reuters: J.P. Morgan shuffles bosses after retirement of North American investment banking head
J.P. Morgan reorganized the leadership in its investment bank, promoting a new head in North America to succeed Fernando Rivas, who plans to retire, according to a memo seen by Reuters.
Rivas, who previously ran the financial institutions group, was one of J.P. Morgan’s lead negotiators in its purchase of failed First Republic Bank in May. He will be replaced by Jay Horine. The bank also appointed several global heads for industry groups reporting to Jim Casey and Vis Raghavan, its co-heads of global investment banking.
Banca d’Italia deputy governor Cipollone to join ECB’s Board
The European Council is set to appoint Piero Cipollone as a new member of the European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board after there were no objections from the ECB’s Governing Council. Cipollone currently serves as deputy governor of the Banca d’Italia. He will serve a non-renewable eight-year term, succeeding Fabio Panetta, who has resigned to take over as governor of the Banca d’Italia.
HSBC exec Tedone joins DigitalAPICraft as CTO
DigitalAPICraft appointed Marco Tedone as chief technology officer. Tedone joins the company with nearly two decades of banking experience, the last 12 of which while working for HSBC, where he led the API Strategy and Governance as well as Modern Architectures for the group. DigitalAPICraft also announced a partnership with Google as they scale the business.
Bharath Kumar, CEO and founder of Digital API Craft, said in a statement: “APIs play a crucial role in enabling digitization. They provide the foundation for modernization and help organizations build successful business ecosystems. Software engineering leaders must develop a systematic approach to manage and govern the use of APIs across their organization”.