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The London Metal Exchange (LME) is broadening its education and outreach efforts in Asia amid growing interest in futures trading in the region. It has recruited risk consultant and commodity specialist Lesley Campbell, a former consultant to the World Bank, to join a growing team in Asia and spearhead the initiative.
Through a new series of seminars run by the Singapore-based Ms Campbell, the LME aims to provide traders, investors and industry players in the region with a greater understanding of how LME contracts can be used to manage the impact of price volatility. The sessions also include a thorough introduction to the regulation, pricing, hedging and delivery procedures for trading on the LME.
Liz Milan, Managing Director of LME Asia, said: “We have seen significantly growing interest in futures trading in Asia over the past two years, on the back of a real need from institutions and companies in the region to hedge against volatile global market conditions.”
“With Lesley on board, we will be better able to reach out to these stakeholders to help address their needs and provide them with a deeper understanding of what the LME does best,” she added.
Ms Milan said the LME’s latest initiative is an important part of the Exchange’s commitment to continue strengthening its relationship and engagement with members and market participants in Asia, following the establishment of its regional headquarters in Singapore in April 2010. It is also a reflection of Asia’s growing importance and influence in global metal markets, she added.
The new training courses are designed to be specifically relevant to Asia Pacific and include topics such as Introduction to Physical Trading, Warehousing, and Managing Basis Risk, as well as a Masterclass in advanced risk management techniques. All the courses will be designed in LME Asia’s headquarters in Singapore for the wider region, including Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam.
Apart from regular scheduled courses, Ms Campbell will also work with companies to design and run bespoke in-house training programmes, to customise and update existing strategies or start from the very beginning with companies new to the world of metal risk management.
An experienced physical and futures trader, Ms Campbell worked for several ring-dealing members for over 20 years before moving into risk consultancy. Over the course of her career, she has also:
- Acted as a consultant to the United Nations and Russian government
- Advised multinational companies on risk management, including a major car manufacturer and one of the world’s largest copper mines
- Presented business programmes for the BBC and written regular newspaper columns on financial markets
Ms Campbell’s relocation from the UK to Singapore comes shortly after LME Asia appointed William Chin, the former Head of Commodities and Energy Risk at LCH.Clearnet, as Senior Manager for Asia.
Ms Campbell said: “We are seeing a surge in demand for new and innovative solutions to metal risk in Asia. It’s a challenge and we believe the only way to meet it is to be based here to make sure we’re doing exactly what the market needs. It’s an exciting time to be in Asia.”
