FNEX Hires Chief Technology Officer and Expands Sales Team

FNEX, an online alternative investment and private securities marketplace, has appointed Chris Nelson as chief technology officer and hired two vice presidents of business development, Erik Wilkinson and Marcus Relthford.

As CTO, Nelson will oversee overall company operations, systems and platform development. Prior to joining FNEX, he served as director of operations at Delivra, a digital marketing provider, and he previously served as director of information technology there. In all, he has over 18 years of experience in technology, with roles at T2 Systems, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, and he also served as airborne communications operator for the U.S. Navy.

On the sales side, Wilkinson will manage business development efforts based out of Chicago and his territory will include Illinois (though FNEX is still pending approval in the state), Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Alaska. Relthford will be based out of Cincinnati and cover Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee. The territory could change slightly as FNEX still seeks approval in a few more states, and the company says it will be seeking sales reps in California, Florida and Texas.

Prior to joining FNEX, Wilkinson was a financial advisor with Edward Jones, and before that, he served as the chief operating officer with Grain/OTC/Options-Markets and vice president at Fed Fund Futures/Options.

Relthford served as vice president of institutional sales at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), covering North America and EMEA, before joining FNEX. Prior to ISS, he worked for the Montgomery County, Ohio Treasurer’s Office and Scudder Private Investment Counsel.