Fidessa group plc (LSE: FDSA), provider of high-performance trading, market data and global connectivity solutions for the buy-side and sell-side, has today announced that it has made two strategic appointments to its senior European team. James Blackburn has taken on the role of Marketing Director for the company's Hosted Services in EMEA, while Simon Woods has been appointed Commercial Director of Enterprise Accounts in the same region.
Mr. Woods’s primary focus will be Fidessa’s key enterprise clients in EMEA. Reporting to Stephen Barrow, Fidessa's Global Sales Director, he will drive a number of significant initiatives across the EMEA region and also manage the European-based Enterprise client sales team from the London office. Mr. Woods has a strong track record of delivering significant growth in financial technology businesses, having held senior positions at SunGard, including that of Managing Director for Front Capital's Asia-Pacific business. More recently he was Managing Partner at IKAT Capital Ventures in Singapore before taking up the Managing Director and Chief Customer Officer roles for Triple Point Technology, a leading supplier of commodity trading and risk solutions, in Asia-Pacific.
Mr. Woods commented: “I am delighted to be joining a company of Fidessa’s stature. I look forward to building on its reputation for client delivery and innovative thinking throughout the EMEA region.”
Mr. Blackburn, who reports to Martin Scanlan, CEO of Fidessa's Hosted Services business, will be responsible for driving Fidessa's Software as a Service (SaaS) products and services forward, and developing and evolving that business line across the region. He brings with him a wealth of industry experience, having worked at Merrill Lynch for a decade in London and New York, initially as an equity trader before assuming responsibility for the firm's pan-European sales trading function to its US client base. He then joined Execution Ltd in 2001 as a founding partner and was instrumental in establishing that business as a leading investment bank specialising in the UK and European equity and debt markets. Most recently he held the position of Global COO of the firm's equity business.
Mr. Blackburn said: “I have been a client of Fidessa for a number of years and have always been impressed by the quality of its technology and its people. I am excited by the challenge of this new role, and believe my skills and experience will complement the existing team extremely well.”
Chris Aspinwall, CEO of Fidessa group, added: “Both Simon and James bring with them rich experience which will benefit clients directly, addressing their existing and future needs. Appointing people of this calibre, with such well-developed skills and industry experience, is a key part of ensuring Fidessa maintains its place at the very heart of the global trading community.”
