Cogent Consulting, today announced the appointments of Tony Seker as Director of Sales and Jennifer Capizzi as Head of Customer Service. The appointments are in response to growing demand from mutual, pension and hedge fund managers for technology solutions to help more effectively allocate the approximately $11 billion in commissions they pay brokers each year to buy and sell securities.
Cogent also is experiencing new demand from sellside brokers for I.T. solutions that will enable them to better track and report the value-added research services they provide to individual buyside customers. In response to these trends, Cogent is developing new products tailored to the specific needs of sellside brokers, while continuing to enhance its core ResearchTrak product for buyside institutions and hedge funds.
“Commission allocation is an increasing area of focus, as the SEC and CFA Institute in the U.S., and the FSA in the U.K., continue to clarify soft dollar standards, practices and requirements,” says Robin Hodgkins, President of Cogent Consulting. “Our business activities in the first half of 2005 have already more than doubled our total revenues for last year. Tony and Jenn bring a wealth of experience to Cogent and will be highly valuable in expanding our sales and service capabilities.”
Seker, with nearly 20 years experience on Wall Street, was most recently North American Sales Manager at StarMine. Previously, he held increasingly responsible positions at Caxton Corp., Bankers Trust, Salomon Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Plexus Group. Mr. Seker also has been a consultant, speaker and moderator at industry conferences on “best execution” trading.
Capizzi was for the past five years Operations Compliance Assistant Manager at Second Street Securities, where she specialized in online account management, trade reconciliation and soft dollar compliance for institutional investors, hedge funds and registered investment advisors.