European Union member states have selected Carlo Comporti as their preferred candidate to become the next chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority, with the appointment due to take effect on 1 November 2026. Comporti's nomination remains subject to confirmation by the European Parliament, with committee and plenary votes expected in September. His appointment comes as discussions continue on proposals to expand ESMA's supervisory role under the Markets Integration and Supervision Package.
The US Senate has confirmed Francis Brooke as deputy secretary of the Treasury, Erin Browne as undersecretary for international affairs, Sriprakash Kothari as assistant secretary for economic policy and George McMaster as assistant secretary for financial markets. Brooke previously served in senior Treasury roles, including acting under secretary for international affairs and assistant secretary for international trade and development, and had been performing the duties of deputy secretary since April 2026. Browne joins from PIMCO, where she served as a managing director and portfolio manager. Kothari is a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. McMaster most recently served as head of trading at Key Square Group and previously worked in foreign exchange and interest rate markets at major financial institutions.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Osman Nawaz as principal deputy director of the Division of Enforcement, succeeding Sam Waldon, who departed the agency on 31 July after more than 14 years at the SEC. Nawaz previously served in a variety of roles within the Division of Enforcement from 2010 to 2024, including staff attorney, assistant regional director and chief of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit, before rejoining the agency in 2026.
FIA has appointed Adeshini Naidoo as head of European policy, effective 14 September. Naidoo joins from the Bank of England, where she served for eight years. She also held roles at the Financial Conduct Authority and served as a seconded national expert in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA). Based initially in FIA’s London office, Naidoo will lead the association’s engagement with UK and European policymakers, regulators and market participants on issues affecting global derivatives markets.
Tobias Paulun has assumed the role of chief executive officer of European Energy Exchange, succeeding Peter Reitz, who led the exchange from 2011. Paulun was previously CEO of European Commodity Clearing. He has held a number of senior roles within the EEX Group and has played a key role in the development of its clearing and post-trade businesses. Reitz has joined the supervisory boards of EEX and ECC and continues to serve on the supervisory boards of EPEX SPOT and Nodal Exchange.
Sabina Salkic has joined EEX Group as designated CEO of ECC and is expected to assume the role on 1 April 2027, subject to regulatory approval. Salkic joins from Deutsche Börse Group, where she served as executive director and head of governance and organisational services. Prior to this, she held a number of senior leadership roles at Deutsche Börse Group, Deutsche Bank and Exxeta. During the transition period, ECC chief risk officer Ralf Prinzler will serve as interim chief executive officer.
Vikas Goel has joined India's National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange as managing director and chief executive officer, succeeding Arun Raste. Goel joins from PNB Gilts, where he served as managing director and CEO from 2019 to 2024 and also chaired the Primary Dealers Association of India. He brings more than three decades of experience across treasury, global markets, fixed income and financial market operations. Prior to PNB Gilts, Goel held senior roles at First Abu Dhabi Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi, where he served as executive director and head of global markets, South Asia. He also served as executive director and head of global markets division, India, at Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and held a number of senior treasury and trading positions at American Express Bank.
Michael Bodson has been elected to the board of directors of OCC as a public director and will succeed Stephen Luparello as chairman in January 2027. Bodson previously served as president and CEO of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation from 2012 to 2022. Prior to becoming CEO, he held several senior roles at DTCC, including chief operating officer, and spent two decades at Morgan Stanley in operations and financial control roles in the US and Asia. Luparello will retire as chairman in January 2027 after nine years on the OCC board and will remain with the organisation as an adviser to the board.
OCC has also elected Matthew Hulsizer and Brian Donnelly as member directors. Hulsizer is co-founder and managing partner of PEAK6 Investments, while Donnelly is founder and chairman of RQD Clearing and founder, chairman and CEO of Optimal Market Technologies. Earlier in his career, Donnelly held positions at Goldman Sachs, UBS and Hull Trading.
Nasdaq has announced two senior leadership changes following its agreement to acquire LeveL Markets, an off-exchange venue for block trading of US equities. Roland Chai has been appointed head of Digital Liquidity Networks, a newly formed business unit that will include LeveL Markets following completion of the acquisition. Chai has led Nasdaq’s European Market Services business since 2023 and has overseen the company’s digital assets strategy since early 2026. Nikolaj Kosakewitsch has been appointed head of European Market Services, succeeding Chai. Kosakewitsch previously served as president of Nasdaq Copenhagen. A successor to Kosakewitsch in that role will be announced at a later date.
Jessica Horsfall has joined Cboe Global Markets as head of market data and access services for Europe. In this role, she will oversee the exchange operator’s market data and connectivity offering for its European equities business and serve on the Cboe Europe management team. Horsfall joins from Bloomberg, where she spent 15 years, most recently serving as global head of exchange relationship management.
LME Clear has appointed Julie Carruthers as chair of the board. Carruthers joined the board as an independent non-executive director in 2022 and has served as interim chair since January 2026. She has more than 30 years of experience across financial markets and market infrastructure and has led several strategic and operational transformation programmes.
Citi has appointed Benjamin Benson and Ranald Falconer as directors in its EMEA futures execution team. Both will work across global cross-asset futures sales and trading. Benson joins from UBS, where he most recently served as executive director, rates exchange-traded derivatives. Prior to UBS, he held senior roles at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Falconer joins from Goldman Sachs, where he spent 10 years in listed derivatives sales and trading. Earlier in his career, he held positions in equity derivatives and fixed income futures at Morgan Stanley.
Former CME executive Mark Omens has joined NinjaTrader as senior vice president, commercial strategy. Reporting to chief executive officer Martin Franchi, Omens will lead the company’s enterprise growth and partnership strategy and oversee its relationships with exchanges and industry associations. Omens worked at CME for 25 years and most recently served as global head of the retail business unit and head of America sales.
Kalshi has appointed Jeff Bandman as chief executive officer of Kalshi Prime, the company's CFTC-registered futures commission merchant. Bandman previously advised Kalshi on its regulatory strategy and helped the company secure designation as a regulated exchange in 2020. He joins from 6529 Holdings and 6529 Capital, where he served as chief operating officer and general counsel. Earlier in his career, he held several senior roles at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, including director of the Division of Clearing and Risk and head of the Office of International Affairs.
Udesh Jha has joined Kalshi as chief risk officer of its clearinghouse, Kalshi Klear. Jha joins from CME Group, where he spent 16 years and most recently served as managing director and head of post-trade services. Prior to that, he served as executive director and head of risk research at CME Group. Earlier in his career, Jha held roles at Capital One and Bank of America.
Mark Davis has joined Ripple as head of exchange-traded derivatives product. He joins from FIA Tech, where he served as senior vice president and head of strategy for more than eight years. Prior to FIA Tech, he spent nine years at Barclays, most recently as global head of futures clearing product. Earlier in his career, Davis held a range of technology and clearing-related leadership roles at Lehman Brothers.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has joined the board of directors of OKX. Cuomo has advised the digital asset firm on its regulatory and institutional strategy in the US since 2023 and currently serves as co-chair of the joint venture between ICE and OKX focused on developing tokenised financial products. Cuomo previously served as governor of New York, attorney general of New York and US secretary of housing and urban development.
Trading Technologies has appointed Sal Lombardi as chief financial officer, succeeding Roger Mills. Lombardi joins from Auctane, where he served as chief financial officer. Lombardi brings more than 25 years of experience across fintech, enterprise software and technology businesses. Mills, who has served in multiple roles at Trading Technologies for more than 26 years, will remain with the company through the end of the year to support the transition.
Brad Hunt has been appointed chairman of the board of BMLL. Hunt succeeds Lee Hodgkinson, who will remain on the board as an independent non-executive director. Hunt has more than 30 years of experience in financial data and market infrastructure and most recently served as CEO of Rimes Technologies, where he led the company’s expansion into enterprise data management and investment solutions. Prior to Rimes, he held senior strategy and business development roles at BNY Mellon, IHS Markit and Goldman Sachs International.
