Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre (CMCRC), the Australian independent academic centre for capital market research, today announced that Professor Michael Aitken had taken up the role of CEO, as Professor Alex Frino stepped down. Professor David Skellern joined as Chairman of the Board.
Professor Frino will take an interim role as an Executive of CMCRC until June, when he will depart to take up a new role as Dean of the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Paul McKeown, VP Market Technology, NASDAQ said the firm was pleased with appointments.
“Nasdaq-OMX welcomes the appointments of Professor Michael Aitken and Dr David Skellern to the CEO and Chair, respectively of the CMCRC. Both parties have a long history of successful commercial innovation which will serve the CMCRC well in its mission of designing and developing technologies, services and human capital that shape the future of capital and insurance markets,” he said.
Professor Aitken said he would build on the past success of the CMCRC with a focus on domestic and international partnerships with industry.
“CMCRC has been very good at building relationships with regulators, universities and companies all around the world, producing research that has been key in informing some major business and regulatory decisions,” he said. “In 2013 and beyond we will build on these relationships to look at commercialising more of our research in the way that we did with SMARTS.”
Professor Frino said he had been very pleased with the growth of CMCRC over the past six years.
“It’s been a pleasure to guide CMCRC as it’s grown from a small team to an internationally respected organisation with more than 75 employees. We have overseen and funded more than 70 PhD students to completion; contributed to nationally and globally significant capital market debates; and really set Australia on the world stage as a respected player in capital market research and development. I know Mike will continue the CMCRC’s growth trajectory in the years to come.”
The Centre also announced the appointment of new Chairman of the Board, Professor David Skellern, as long serving director the Hon. Professor Andrew Rogers QC stepped down.
“Andrew has been a staunch supporter of the Centre’s efforts and has worked tirelessly over many years to advance our understanding of capital markets in Australia and around the world,” said Professor Aitken. “We cannot thank him enough for his many contributions and wish him the very best in his onward journey. At the same time I am thrilled to welcome Professor Skellern, whose expertise will be so valuable in building on our success into future.”
Professor Skellern was joint head of the CSIRO/Macquarie University project that invented Wireless Local Area Networks in the 1990s. He has previously served a variety of high-profile roles at Macquarie; been elected CEO of the National ICT Australia (NICTA) Board; and won many awards including the CSIRO Research Medal and the ATSE Clunies Ross Award. Last year he received a Companion of the Order of Australia for service to science and engineering as a leading researcher, and for the design and development of world-leading information technology communications applications.
