Cover story
Challenge Accepté: AXA Investment Managers CIO Hervé Morel-Derocle
During one of his frequent trips to London, AXA Investment Managers CIO Hervé Morel-Derocle spoke to Marina Daras about the bold moves he made when faced with the looming obsolescence of the firm’s desktops.
KKR's Colorful Personality: CIO Ed Brandman
Ed Brandman’s friendly quirks don’t conjure the conventional image of an IT chief, especially at KKR, one of the more white-shoe firms in a space famous for them. But don’t let the CIO’s charms fool you. He effectively redefined enterprise-grade…
Kotch's Confidence: CTO Mary Kotch Balances Family with AIG's Rebuild
AIG CTO Mary Kotch sits down with Anthony Malakian to discuss her ascent up the technology ladder to her current position, and how she manages to find a work–life balance while helping the insurance giant to restore its brand post-2008. Photos by Amy…
Bohemian Rhapsody: CIO Michal Sanak Leads Prague's RSJ with Smart Speed
RSJ, tucked on the left bank of the Vltava River in the Czech capital of Prague, has quietly become one of the world’s most active proprietary trading firms, despite its boutique size. As CIO and shareholder Michal Sanak tells Tim Bourgaize Murray, the…
2013 Cover Stories: The Sell Side
As 2013 draws to a close, we look back over the year's coverage, and focus on the sell-side executives profiled for the magazine's monthly cover story.
Network Effects: Allianz CIO Ralf Schneider on the New Hard Sell
Whether dramatically reducing Allianz’s datacenter footprint, looking for ways to better incorporate its increasingly sizeable capital-markets subsidiaries, or picking off the right talent, group CIO Ralf Schneider brings unique inspiration─and new…
Change Management: CIFC's Enrique Smith on IT and Finding God
From the day he walked through the door at CIFC, Enrique Smith was tasked with rebuilding the asset manager’s technology stack. Making big changes isn’t an issue for him, if his personal life is any indication. By Jake Thomases with photos by Amy Fletcher
Edwin Marcial: No More Mr. ICE Guy
Edwin Marcial has been in the technology driver’s seat since before ICE’s meteoric rise. In the early 2000s, he wore the ‘upstart’ label like a badge of honor. But with the purchase of the NYSE, he doesn’t seem so comfortable with it anymore. By Jake…
MacKay Shields Weathers Storms with Vigilante's Tech Vision
MacKay Shields has weathered some of the worst storms in recent memory, thanks to a forward-thinking approach to technology, which has been driven in part by its long-serving head of IT. By James Rundle, with photos by Amy Fletcher
Poland's Central Clarity: CEO Iwona Sroka, KDPW Group
Dr. Iwona Sroka designed the strategy for Warsaw’s KDPW Group to reflect an operational efficiency and a future for capital markets in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) that is increasingly bright. Strength in technology is the key. By Tim Bourgaize…
The Nuclear Option: Eaton Vance's John Shea
John Shea sits down with Jake Thomases to discuss his interesting pre-Wall Street career and Eaton Vance's IT.
SocGen's New Lease: CTO Bob Schmeider Prepares a Built-to-Spec New York Trading Floor
In July, Société Générale is heading east to its new home at 245 Park Avenue. With the massive infrastructural consequences in store, Americas CTO Bob Schmeider has found a project—la nouvelle maison Americaine—that is ideally fit. By Tim Bourgaize…
Pine River's Rapid Current: CTO David Kelly
Expanding on famously effective relative-value strategies in fixed income and mortgage arbitrage, and operating with a fully global footprint, Minnesota’s Pine River Capital had an eye for a technologist who knows buy-side products, prime brokerage, and…
Head in the Clouds: Impax COO Darren Johnson
After cutting his teeth at a variety of high-stress jobs in the City of London, Darren Johnson finally struck a balance between hard work and tranquility. Now as COO of Impax Asset Management, he sees the future in the cloud. By Steve Dew-Jones with…
Citadel's Sentinel: CIO Tom Miglis Aims to Do the Impossible
Commitment to investors is the thesis at Ken Griffin’s Citadel, but how the firm achieves returns—through technology—is unique for a hedge fund. Steering strategy and growing the firm’s vaunted development capacity, CIO Tom Miglis is trusted with leading…
Well-Suited: Steve Ellis Merges Wells Fargo, Wachovia IT
People think of bankers and technologists as being a bit square. Steve Ellis broke the mold, then set the pieces on fire. Wells Fargo took a chance on him, and is now reaping the rewards. By Jake Thomases with photos by Amy Fletcher
Beyond the Easy Win: Sands Capital CTO Ryan Bateman
Ryan Bateman had never been a CTO and Sands Capital had never had a CTO—it was a curious pairing. But Bateman has come in and established his credibility, and now he has to keep that winning streak going. By Anthony Malakian
First New York Securities' Jean Hill’s Blank Slate
Manhattan-based proprietary trading firm First New York brought Jean Hill on board to build its infrastructure from the ground up. However, there were several points during her career when it looked as though she was destined for any number of paths but…
Olympian Capital Management's Renaissance
After Michael Levas started Olympian Capital Management from his kitchen table in Fort Lauderdale back in 2003, he found that in order to turn the firm into the hedge fund of his dreams he would have to find the right partner. Enter Arun Kaul. By Anthony…
Weiss' Steven Breen Keeps it Simple
Steven Breen has made a career out of untangling and simplifying hedge funds’ technology infrastructures. Breen now finds himself at Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisors implementing a blueprint that has been honed over the course of nearly two decades. By…
The Next Stretch
John Metzner is a man perpetually in search of a challenge. This has resulted in a meteoric rise through Wall Street’s ranks to his current role as president of Plural Investments. By Anthony Malakian
There Can Be Only One: David Downey and OneChicago Stand Alone
Anthony Malakian speaks to OneChicago Exchange's CEO David Downey about his return to the financial services industry after a lengthy hiatus precipitated by a tragedy close to home.
The Long Haul: Scott Marcar Leads RBS' Tech Team Through the Financial Crisis
Anthony Malakian catches up with London-based Scott Marcar and discusses the challenges facing him when he joined RBS from JP Morgan at the onset of the financial crisis in 2007.
Bank of America's Catherine Bessant: All Business
Catherine Bessant speaks to Anthony Malakian about her rise to the top of the technology stack at B of A, and explains why it's not essential for CIOs to be 'techies.'