Nippon: Sumitomo promotes Nakashima to president
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group announced the promotion of deputy president Toru Nakashima to president, following the recent death of president Jun Ota. Nakashima, 60, has been acting as head of the megabank group since Ota’s sudden death. He is expected to be appointed to the board of directors at next June’s general shareholders meeting.
Nakashima has a long career in corporate planning and has extensive connections in political and bureaucratic circles. A graduate of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, Nakashima joined Sumitomo Bank, a predecessor of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., in 1986. He was involved in the creation of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking in 2001 through the merger of Sumitomo Bank and Sakura Bank. He assumed his current post in April this year.
At a press conference in Tokyo, Nakashima said, “I will maintain and improve our positive momentum and lead the group to a higher level.”
Hazeltree appoints Scott Metro as CISO to lead cyber strategy
Hazeltree announced the appointment of Scott Metro as its chief information security officer (CISO). Metro brings more than 25 years of experience in assisting clients in complying with current regulations and implementing secure processes and systems while leveraging emerging technology. He will report to Hazeltree’s chief technology officer Richard Winter and will be based in New York.
As CISO, he will focus on developing and leading Hazeltree’s information security program and securing additional, comprehensive industry-endorsed certifications for its platform. More specifically, he will be tasked with protecting the organization’s assets, applications, systems, and technology, while enabling and advancing business outcomes.
Metro joins Hazeltree having recently retired from PwC, where he most recently was a partner in the Cyber, Risk and Regulatory practice, and led the firm’s global Financial Services Risk and Compliance Transformation Campaign. During his 26 years at PwC, Scott’s work spanned both PwC’s external audit practice as well as its risk and regulatory consulting practice.
Stephanie Miller, CEO of Hazeltree, said in a statement: “With increased regulation around cybersecurity and cyber-attacks on the rise, having an expert like Scott in this space will bolster our first line of defense, in addition to becoming a critical piece of our company’s long-term success.”
“The breadth of Scott’s experience in the financial services industry and his knowledge of the risk and regulatory landscape position him well to lead Hazeltree’s cyber governance, risk, and compliance framework,” said Winter in a statement.
“Cybersecurity is only becoming more important today, especially in the asset management space, and alternatives are no exception,” said Metro in a statement. “Hazeltree provides alternative asset managers with a robust, purpose-built platform for liquidity management, and the security and continuity of these systems are nothing short of critical. I’m excited to join and lead Hazeltree’s cyber strategy.”
Digital Prime Technologies appoints State Street’s Delikaris as special advisor
Digital Prime Technologies announced the appointment of Nick Delikaris, global head of Automation and Platform Solutions at State Street, as a special advisor to the Board. Delikaris brings knowledge and experience in both traditional and digital asset financing that will be instrumental to further drive Digital Prime’s overall growth and expansion.
In his role at State Street, Delikaris oversees electronic trading, platform solutions, business process engineering and performance analytics. He is the co-founder and chair of the Risk Management Association’s (RMA) Financial Technology and Automation committee and a member of various fintech and industry-wide advisory boards and working groups.
Prior to joining State Street, Nick was the head of Digital Finance Trading in Coinbase’s Institutional Prime Brokerage Finance business and spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs in a variety of trading roles. He has significant experience across a wide range of asset classes and a strong background in quantitative trading and risk management.
James Runnels, co-founder and CEO of Digital Prime Technologies, said in a statement: “Nick has been an amazing source of knowledge for me during the past few years, and today’s announcement is an extraordinary addition to the Digital Prime team.”
Delikaris said in a statement: “Having known James and the Digital Prime Technologies team for more than two years, I have witnessed, firsthand, the significant advancement in both their technology stack and product development. I greatly admire their systemic approach to creating a product suite that services both Traditional and Digital Finance.”
BNP Paribas Securities Services boosts US agency lending with three hires
BNP Paribas’ Securities Services business announced three new hires to its agency lending business in the US, including the appointment of John Fox as head of US Agency Lending, to support the growth of its client base in the region.
Fox will drive Securities Services’ agency lending program in the US, helping clients implement the appropriate strategies for their lending needs. He brings over 25 years’ experience in the financial and securities lending markets, being most recently head of Client Management and Sales for North America at BNY Mellon, and prior to this head of US Client Services for Deutsche Bank.
The unit is also strengthened by the hiring of two traders, Alex King and Vincent Modica. In their role, they will play an integral part of Securities Services’ agency lending regional strategy, notably by lending equities and fixed income for agency lending funds, assisting in relationship management for brokers and counterparties, and identifying product or business development opportunities.
Based in New York, King and Modica will report to Fox, who in turn reports to Andrew Geggus, global head of Agency Lending and locally to Laurent de Lattre, head of Market and Financing Services Americas, Securities Services at BNP Paribas.
Geggus said in a statement: ”Our agency lending programme is experiencing strong momentum, and between them, John, Alex and Vinny all bring a range of knowledge and skills that will further bolster our ability to support clients in the Americas.”