BTON Financial, an independent outsourced dealing desk for asset managers, has appointed two Non-Executive Directors. Electronic trading experts Brian Schwieger, current Global Head of Equities at London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Tony Walker, former Managing Director of EMEA Execution Services at Merrill Lynch, have joined BTON Financial in an advisory capacity.
Schwieger and Walker will help shape the direction of the company and focus on delivering on BTON Financial’s mission to support mid-tier asset managers in taking advantage of the emerging liquidity and execution opportunities while also ensuring regulatory compliance.
By using BTON Financial’s outsourced dealing desk, smaller asset managers are able to compete with their larger peers and implement trading strategies effectively, ensuring that investment intentions are not undermined by poor execution quality as a result of inadequate legacy technology. BTON Financial’s SaaS technology solution will help firms to not only adapt and comply with MiFID II best execution, trade and transaction reporting requirements, but also automate workflow processes and improve trading performance for the benefit of the end investor.
Schwieger, has been at LSEG since 2013, and is now responsible for equity markets in London and Milan as well as co-Head of ETF and fixed income markets in London. He is also a Non-Executive Director of MTS, a leading European fixed income trading platform. Brian was previously a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he helped to build and market the European electronic trading platform.
Walker has more than 20 years of experience in electronic trading. He started his investment banking career at Lehman Brothers and joined the nascent electronic trading business. In 2006, Tony joined Merrill Lynch and helped establish the electronic trading franchise, both market access and algorithmic access for clients. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Citadel Securities Europe.
Schwieger says: “I am looking forward to supporting BTON Financial as it pursues its ambitious growth and development strategy. The industry is ready for an independent outsourced dealing desk for asset managers looking to innovate and remain competitive in a rapidly changing market environment. ”
Walker adds: “The buyside and particularly asset management is at the epicentre of the changes that the industry is undergoing. There is a significant opportunity for both BTON Financial and asset managers to adapt to the changes driven by regulation and cost, to drive performance through automation.”
Dan Shepherd (pictured), CEO & co-Founder says: “We are delighted to be joined by Tony and Brian as we enter the next stage of BTON Financial’s growth development. They bring with them the expertise and industry knowledge to help us grow the business. Their combined experience in growing electronic trading businesses will be invaluable to our leadership team as we navigate the opportunities ahead of us.”
