KCG places value on the use of strategic industry professionals to ensure effective corporate governance as ex-Instinet co-CEO is appointed as Senior Advisor
KCG Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: KCG) has today announced that Anthony L. Abenante has joined the company as a Senior Advisor to the firm’s Global Execution Services business.
In his new executive role, Mr. Abenante, who most recently held the post as co-CEO of Nomura’s institutional technology and liquidity subsidiary Instinet, will provide strategic counsel on the development of KCG’s institutional equities business, including algorithmic and EMS product offerings as well as traditional worked order trading services.
According to KCG, the strategic use of expert advisors allows the company to broaden its access to diverse insights from the industry’s most senior leaders.
In addition to Mr. Abenante, KCG maintains a corporate-level advisory relationship with the Hon. Arthur Levitt, Jr., a former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission who offers experience and insight about market structure and regulation.
“KCG is committed to being a leading provider of execution services to institutions, and Anthony will help us build upon the momentum we’ve gained over the last year,” said Greg Tusar, head of Global Execution Services for KCG. “With product integration and product development well underway, it is a perfect time for us to tap into Anthony’s experience and expertise on the unique needs of our institutional client base.”
Mr. Abenante said, “KCG has a compelling set of assets to be leveraged by the institutional investment community, supported by a highly client service-oriented team. When combined with the scale and market insights of the firm, KCG’s platform will be extremely beneficial to a wide spectrum of asset managers and traders. I am greatly looking forward to being of assistance as the company’s tremendous liquidity and technology capabilities further evolve.”
Following its acquisition of Instinet, Nomura Group appointed Mr. Abenante co-CEO of the subsidiary in June 2007 initially responsible for Instinet’s Americas business and global technology efforts, where he oversaw significant growth in the firm’s market share and revenues. During his tenure, Mr. Abenante also led Instinet’s first successful cross-asset expansion with the acquisition of TORC Financial, adding derivatives trading to its platform; helped to continue its role in evolving global market structure through the launch of the Chi-X Global alternative exchanges; and restructured the firm’s European and Asian business units.
Mr. Abenante had joined Nomura Securities International in August 2003 as Head of U.S. Equity Sales and Trading to help re-build the company’s U.S. equity offerings, including its quantitative trading and EMS platforms, before playing an integral role in the acquisition of Instinet.
Prior to his tenure at Nomura, he spent 10 years at Investment Technology Group, most recently as Director and Head of Institutional Sales. Mr. Abenante started his career at Morgan Stanley and worked in trading technology for the company in New York, Frankfurt and London until joining ITG in December 1993. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from Carnegie-Mellon University.
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