R.J. O’Brien and Associates (RJO), one of the oldest and largest futures commission merchants in Chicago, has appointed Terrence Whalen, a veteran technology developer from the financial services industry, as Chief Information Officer. He will be responsible for development, implementation and management of RJO’s trading and information technology.
“At RJO, we are committed to providing our customers with top-value technology to support their investment and risk-management objectives, from electronic trading systems to sophisticated analytical programs,” says Gerald F. Corcoran, RJO’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’re delighted to bring Terry Whalen aboard to help take us to the next level of technology development.”
Whalen, 49, joins RJO from the Lincoln Financial Group, where he was Chief Information Officer for its First Penn Pacific Life Affiliate since 2000. From 1995-99 he served as an officer in the information technology division of CNA Financial Insurance and from 1977-94 he worked in a variety of technology roles for the Continental Insurance Corporation. He is a member of the Society of Information Management and the Illinois CIO Exchange. A 1977 graduate of Villanova University in Philadelphia, Whalen lives in Aurora, Illinois, with his wife Lyn and their two children.
“I’m thrilled to be joining RJO, a firm with a storied history in an industry that is rapidly shifting to increasing reliance on financial information technology to meet the needs of its customers,” says Whalen.
Founded in 1914, R.J. O’Brien is a privately owned Futures Commission Merchant (FCM); a founding member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; and a full clearing member of the Chicago Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange, Commodity Exchange of New York and the New York Board of Trade. RJO offers execution and clearing on every futures exchange worldwide, and services a nationwide network of 200 introducing brokers.