Aqua, the new alternative trading system (ATS) offering block liquidity to the global equity markets, announced that Brian Weston, a seasoned professional with over 20 years of technical and business experience, has been appointed Chief Technology Officer. He reports to Kevin Foley, President and CEO of Aqua.
Mr. Foley said, “Brian’s challenge will be to develop technology that makes it safe and convenient to trade blocks again, to find liquidity for your large order whether the other side of your trade is an institution, a broker or even a hedge fund. Innovative, proprietary liquidity-seeking technology that is simple and easy to use is an important driver in our block equity electronic trading model. Brian’s deep understanding of markets and his exceptional skills and experience managing the development of global trading systems will be an important asset as we continue to focus on building our system and meeting our clients’ needs.”
Mr. Weston said, “What I find especially exciting about joining Aqua is the opportunity to develop new technology that facilitates the formation of block liquidity in ways that have never before been possible. Kevin is assembling a terrific team, and it’s rewarding to be working with him again with this new vision and commitment to deliver what the marketplace wants.”
Prior to joining Aqua, Mr. Weston was Senior Vice President of New Markets Development with eSpeed, Inc., where he oversaw development of BGC Partners’ Spot FX matching system, eSpeed’s enhanced high-availability U.S. Treasury trading system, BGC Partners’ inter-dealer U.S. Treasury Repurchase Agreement trading system, eSpeed’s Spot FX trading system, and Freedom International Brokerage’s Canadian Bond trading system.
Earlier, Mr. Weston served as Global Development Manager for Bloomberg, focusing on the Tradebook, AutoEx, Message and API products. In this capacity, he was the lead designer, architect and implementer for Bloomberg Tradebook’s Global Tradebook. He also served with Goldman Sachs & Co., where he designed and co-developed OMNI, an object oriented, currency and commodities derivatives middle office system that supports processing of currency derivatives, and with D.E. Shaw & Co. in developing back office systems. Mr. Weston holds a B.S. from Purdue University and an M.S. from Yale University, and was an Engineering Duty Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
About Aqua
Aqua is a new electronic trading platform focused on creating new pools of block liquidity for institutions, brokers, and hedge funds. Aqua is expected to seek necessary regulatory approvals globally to operate an alternative trading system. Based in New York, Aqua is owned by eSpeed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPD), a leader in developing and deploying electronic marketplaces and related trading, and by Cantor Fitzgerald, a leading financial services provider to the institutional equity and fixed income markets, both of which are contributing financial, professional, and technology assets to Aqua. For more information, please visit www.aquaequities.com.
