As we end April and move closer to the Summer, we see a number of executives being recruited this week in the forex, crypto and fintech industries. Let’s review the executives that have taken on new roles and challenges in our executive moves roundup of the week.
Executive Moves of the Week
TopFX’s Head of Marketing Resigns after Nearly Six Years
Maria Meramveliotaki, the Head of Marketing at TOPFX, has given up her role at the Cyprus-based retail and institutional brokerage firm after five years and eight months of service. Meramveliotaki, who joined TopFX as a Senior Content Writer in September 2017, announced her departure on Thursday through LinkedIn.
“After five and a half remarkable years, I have made the decision to step down from my role as Head of Marketing at TOPFX,” the TopFX executive wrote. “It's a tough choice, but I'm excited to take on new challenges and explore different horizons.”
Scope Markets Hires Linton White as GM for Operations in South Africa
Scope Markets has continued its hiring spree, tapping Linton White as General Manager in South Africa. White announced his appointment on Wednesday, noting that the brokerage, which is present in Kenya, is expanding into South Africa.
Scope Markets was authorized by South Africa’s Financial Services Conduct Authority in 2016 as a Financial Services Provider. With the new appointment, the broker aims “to become a leading local brokerage firm in South Africa,” White wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Read more about Linton White being recruited by Scope Markets to fill the General Manager position in South Africa.
Equiti Capital UK Promotes Deputy Group CFO to Become New CEO
On Wednesday, Equiti Capital UK named Liam Conway as the new Chief Executive Officer. The latest appointment at the apex role came as an internal promotion, as Conway previously held the position of Deputy Group CFO.
Conway replaces Paul Webb in the role, who took over as the interim CEO of Equiti Capital UK in January, replacing Nigel Holmes, another interim appointment. Brian Myers was the last full-time CEO of the UK unit of Equiti Group, who was moved from the post to take charge of the Seychelles subsidiary. Webb will return as Equiti Group’s Chief Operations Officer.
Find out more about Equiti Capital UK promoting Liam Conway to be the new CEO.
OneID Oboards New CEO
The identity service provider, OneID, has appointed Paula Sussex as the new CEO, who will lead the company through the next expansion period. She replaces Martin Wilson, who will now continue as a Non-Executive Director.
Before OneID, Sussex headed the Student Loans Company as the CEO for over four years. She comes with a business background in consulting and technology services.
"There is growing recognition that identity technology can help solve huge commercial and social issues such as fraud, compliance and cost of securing data in a business," said Sussex. "OneID tackles all of these issues and I’m delighted to be joining at such an exciting time."
BDSwiss Onboards New Chief Market Strategist MENA
BDSwiss announced hiring Mazen Salhab as the broker's new Chief Market Strategist for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He will prepare financial market analysis reports and keep clients updated on the latest market movements.
He is a forex and CFDs industry insider and previously worked with Swissquote and MultiBank Group.
"The experience he has gathered over the past decade is invaluable and will support our growth plans in the MENA region," said Abdulghani Khattab, BDSwiss' Head of Marketing MENA. "We have significant plans to rapidly expand globally but especially in the Middle East we're pleased that Mazen is on board to help us with this mission."
XS.com Names Global Head of PR and Branding
FX/CFDs broker XS.com expanded its team further with the latest onboarding of Despina Iapon as the new Head of PR and Branding. She joined the new role from FXPro and brought years of experience in her field.
"I am committed to leveraging my experience and expertise to develop and execute a comprehensive PR and branding strategy that will help us attract and retain traders, differentiate ourselves from competitors, and drive growth," Iapon said.
XS.com, based in Australia and Cyprus, also onboarded several other executives recently. It recently added Mohamad Ibrahim as the Group CEO, Ahmed Negm as the Head of Market Research for MENA, and Stephanie Michael as the Global Head of HR.
"Despina’s extensive experience and expertise in PR and branding will be invaluable as we continue to build our brand, engage with our traders and partners, and accelerate our growth," said Ibrahim. "Effective branding and PR will help us to continue to expand XS.com by attracting new investors, increasing customer loyalty, and building further on the already strong reputation we have developed in the market."
Nancy Altobello Joins Market Axess
MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: MKTX), a company that operates an electronic trading platform for fixed-income securities, has recently announced the appointment of Nancy Altobello as the Lead Independent Director of the Board, effective from 13 April 2023. She takes over from Stephen P. Casper, who held the position of Lead Independent Director since 2012. Despite stepping down from his role, Casper will continue to serve as a director for the company.
According to Rick McVey, the Founder and Executive Chairman of MarketAxess, Casper's oversight during a time of tremendous growth, including the company's addition to the S&P 500 index, has been invaluable. The company is extremely grateful for his many contributions as Lead Independent Director for the past decade and looks forward to his continued counsel in the years to come.
Barclays Appoints Co-Heads of Leveraged Finance
British multinational bank, Barclays, has appointed two of its long-time executives as Global Co-Heads of Leveraged Finance. The two executives are Na Wei, who was previously the universal bank’s Head of Leveraged Finance for Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and Tom Blouin, the firm’s Managing Director and Co-Head of Leveraged Finance for the Americas.
Wei, who has also been a director at the bank since July 2007, updated her LinkedIn page with the new position. On the other hand, FN London reported Blouin's new role, citing people familiar with the development.
Deutsche Bank Hires Friederike Rotsch as General Counsel
German lender Deutsche Bank has appointed Friederike Rotsch, former Group General Counsel at Merck, as its General Counsel. Rotsch, who will be based in Frankfurt, joined the German firm after over nine years at the top science and technology company.
Deutsche Bank announced Rotsch’s appointment on Monday, noting that she will resume the role in September 2023 and report to Stefan Simon, the Chief Administrative Officer of the bank. Simon is also a Management Board Member at Deutsche Bank.
Rotsch replaces Karen Kuder who has been the German banking institution's General Counsel and Global Head of the Legal Department since 2020. Rotsch is an experienced lawyer “with deep expertise across corporate law, governance, M&A, capital markets and dispute resolution,” Deutsche Bank said.
MoneyGram Hires Ceridian’s Seth Ross as Chief Digital Officer
American money transfer company, MoneyGram, has hired Seth Ross, the former General Manager of Dayforce Wallet and Consumer Services at Ceridian, as its Chief Digital Officer. The cross-border peer-to-peer company announced Ross’ appointment on Monday, noting that the executive will lead its direct-to-consumer business and global digital strategy.
Ross, whose appointment became effective today, will report to Alex Holmes, MoneyGram’s Chairman and CEO. He will also join the Executive Leadership Team of the American firm.
“As digital transactions now account for over 50% of our money transfer business, this appointment couldn't come at a more fitting time,” Holmes said.
