CurveGlobal, the new interest rates derivatives venture between LSEG, seven dealer banks and the Chicago Board Options Exchange, has appointed Richard Walker as head of business development.
Catherine Lyall, COO of CurveGlobal, has left the project to pursue new opportunities and Steven Hamilton, previously a consultant, has been appointed interim COO.
Before joining CurveGlobal two years ago, Lyall was an independent non-executive director for Deutsche Bank in the UK. She has also served as a director for Minnamurra Consulting.
Walker will join CurveGlobal on 22 August. In his newly created role he will support the venture’s market engagement programme ahead of the 26 September launch date.
He joins from LCH, where he was head of client sales and marketing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He spent five years at LCH, and is credited with helping to grow the client clearing business at SwapClear.
Previously, Walker has held positions at the likes of Swiss Bank, Nomura and Lehman Brothers.
Andy Ross, CEO of CurveGlobal, said: “Our long-term success will be built on a foundation of bringing market participants from across the exchange-traded derivative and over-the-counter worlds, together with the understanding of the exceptional clearing innovations being delivered by LCH, that will help deliver CurveGlobal’s unique proposition.”
He added: “Richard Walker brings significant experience to this role and a breadth of industry and market knowledge second to none.”
“I would also like to warmly extend my personal thanks to Catherine Lyall for her key role in developing CurveGlobal and wish her all the best for the future.”
Richard Walker said: “We’ve seen how open access initiatives in equities have broken established trading and clearing silos to create greater choice and better efficiencies for equity market participants. We need to continue to develop fixed income markets to offer greater choice and efficiency and I am confident that CurveGlobal can take a leading role in that evolution.”
CurveGlobal will initially offer trading in sterling- and euro-denominated interest rate futures, and additional products will be gradually introduced, in line with demand from market practitioners.
Products will trade on the London Stock Exchange Derivatives Market, a wholly owned subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group, subject to regulatory approvals and relevant licences.
