US-based alternative exchange IEX (Investors’ Exchange) has made a number of new appointments to strengthen its leadership team, with former president Ronan Ryan moving into the COO role as Bryan Harkins takes up the leadership reins.Â
Harkins, who is taking over from Ryan as president of IEX, was previously head of markets at Cboe Global Markets, overseeing equities, derivatives, and foreign exchange trading. He has held numerous other senior roles including as president of BIDS trading, head of markets at BATS Global Markets, COO of Direct Edge, and chief revenue officer at Trumid. He also co-founded Wall Street Rides FAR (for autism research) with his wife in 2015 and serves on the board of directors for the Autism Science Foundation.
“I have watched and admired IEX’s innovation and unique approach in a competitive market. They have built a great business, and I am honored to bring my experience to help them execute on the next chapters of their growth and evolution,” said Harkins.
“Bryan brings tremendous leadership experience across a number of asset classes which is extremely valuable given IEX’s potential for growth both now and into the future,” noted IEX co-founder and CEO, Brad Katsuyama. “He has built trusted relationships with a wide variety of market participants, and we could not be more excited to have him be a part of our executive team and what we are building at IEX.”
IEX co-founder Ronan Ryan, one of the original “flash boys” who set up the exchange in 2012 in protest against the perceived impact of high frequency trading, has held the role of president for the past eight years, ever since the firm launched as a national securities exchange in 2016. He now moves to the role of COO, where he will focus on corporate development, strategic planning, and guiding long-term initiatives aimed at promoting IEX’s growth and profitability.
“Ronan and I have been at the heart of driving IEX forward since we co-founded the company over a decade ago,” said Katsuyama. “This move will allow IEX to expand the breadth of our executive team as we enter an important competitive period with pending regulatory and market structure changes. Ronan and I look forward to working closely with Bryan to take IEX to new heights.”
IEX has also appointed Florian Seifferer as its chief strategy officer (CSO), responsible for sourcing new market opportunities and partnerships. Seifferer was previously COO of IEX Digital Assets.
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