Chicago-based R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, today announced that financial markets veteran Tom Fitzpatrick has just joined the firm as Managing Director, Global Markets Insights. Over a career that included nearly 39 years at Citi, Fitzpatrick cultivated a strong following across the globe for his insightful market commentary across asset classes.
Daniel Staniford, RJO President and Chief Sales Officer, said: "We're absolutely thrilled to have Tom on board as we continue our expansion into new asset classes and geographies. I had the pleasure of working with him at Citi, and the quality and depth of his analyses are simply unparalleled in the industry. This new role will provide our strong and growing client base with valuable new insights based on Tom's passion for the markets and his thorough, thoughtful review that captures not only market fundamentals and psychology but also economic and financial history."
Fitzpatrick said: "I am delighted to join RJO, which I believe will be a tremendous fit for this next chapter in my career. The feedback I've received and what I've been able to observe already reinforces that this is the right organization for me, reflected in a strong culture and people of integrity who love what they do. I've known Dan for many years and am excited to work with him directly again, particularly as the firm is building new, cross-asset opportunities for its clients across the globe."
Fitzpatrick grew up in Ireland and started his career as a junior bank official for Chase Bank of Ireland in Dublin. He began to specialize in foreign exchange (FX) when he joined HSBC Global Banking and Markets as a junior FX assistant. He moved to South Africa in 1984 as an analyst for Nedbank, and then joined Citibank (now Citi) in FX sales, working out of the Johannesburg area. In 1987, he transferred to Citibank London to join Corporate FX sales, where he also covered investor, hedge fund and Central bank as well as sovereign wealth funds before assuming the role of Head of FX Institutional Sales. In 1996, he moved to New York to serve as Head of FX Institutional Sales.
From 1999 until June of this year, Fitzpatrick has been Managing Director at Citi, where he also served as Global Head of the CitiFXTechnicals product within the G10 FX business. In that role, he produced multi-award winning, leading-edge commentary focused on macroeconomic developments across all asset classes – including interest rates, equities and commodities, in addition to FX – after evolving from a technical product centered on FX. In addition to visiting institutional Citi clients across the globe, he has been a frequent speaker at internal and external conferences and has made regular media appearances.