FIX Protocol Limited (FPL) announces that Chris Jackson, Director of Equity Markets at Merrill Lynch, has been elected as Co-Chair of the FPL EMEA Regional Committee. In this role Jackson will work closely alongside Co-Chair Daemon Bear, Head of Equity Trading at JPMorgan Asset Management, who was elected to this position in June 2008.
Jackson has a 15 years professional experience. He joined Merrill Lynch in 1997 and has held senior positions in portfolio trading sales in both the firms EMEA and New York offices. He is currently responsible for selling Merrill Lynchs global equity execution platform including algorithmic trading, direct market access, smart order routing and transitions. Prior to his current tenure, he worked within Equities at SBC Warburg.
“Over the past decade, advancements in trading technology have delivered significant benefits for the underlying investor in the form of greater efficiencies, transparency, cost savings and more streamlined business practices,” says Jackson. “By developing and maintaining an industry-wide open standard for the transfer of electronic trading information, FIX Protocol Limited stands out as an example of effective self-regulation in the financial services market. Within this new position I look forward to applying my skills and experience to help FPL achieve its strategic goals to ensure that the adoption of the FIX Protocol continues to gain momentum for the benefit of the financial services industry globally.”
“It is a very interesting time for the EMEA region. In November 2007 we witnessed the implementation of MiFID in Europe and we are now seeing new players entering the market in response to this regulation,” says Daemon Bear, co-chair. “There is growing interest in electronic trading practices in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and the FIX Protocol, which was traditionally utilised within buy-side to sell-side communications, is gaining traction as a solution within the exchange-to-market space. I am very excited about the potential these developments offer for FPL and I look forward to working alongside Chris who is an outstanding advocate for the advancement of electronic trading practices.”