Hal Hansen, the long-time head of Cargill Investor Services, has been one of the most influential leaders of the futures industry. He spent his entire 40-year career at Cargill, with the last 20 years as president of CIS, its futures brokerage subsidiary. He served on the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago mercantile Exchange’s FCM committees during the 90s and chaired the FIA in 1992 and 1993 and served on its executive committee for many years. As an FIA board member, Hansen was an ardent supporter of international markets and associations. He was a major force in international cooperation, supporting initiatives of the FIA Japan and U.K. Chapters, the Futures and Options Association, and the Swiss Futures & Options Association. He was a customer advocate, always putting the needs of the customer ahead of those of the firms and exchanges. On the speakers’ platform, he was known as the Phil Donohue of the futures industry for his Crossfire sessions. From 1994 to 1998, he served as chairman of the National Futures Association.
