LeapRate Exclusive Interview… About six months ago LeapRate reported exclusively that Alex Mackinnon had left AxiTrader to join the CFH Systems FX technologies arm of Playtech PLC (LON:PTEC). With obvious global expansion plans after Playtech bought CFH Group for $120 million just over a year ago, CFH Systems brought on the very experienced Mr. Mackinnon, who is based in Singapore, as its Head of Asia.
So how has the past half-year gone for CFH Systems?
What are Alex Mackinnon’s plans for CFH Systems in Asia?
Join us as we speak with Alex Mackinnon, exclusively at LeapRate…
LR: Hi Alex, and thanks for joining us today. What are your plans for CFH Systems in Asia?
Alex Mackinnon, CFH Systems
Alex: I’ve joined CFH at a great time for the business. We are strongly established as one of the largest firms in the region and yet there’s huge opportunity to further increase our market share.
Initially, I am looking help CFH to increase uptake of our technical offering and broaden our reach, with more clients across South East Asia.
I am based at our Singapore office and will be travelling extensively across the region to meet clients and prospects and will also spend a significant amount of time working closely with our local teams at CFH’s offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
LR: What are your initial priorities in order to maximise growth opportunities?
Alex: My initial focus is on solidifying our client base and looking at any ways we can enhance the service we currently provide. I want to get to know more about our clients to see how we can help them to expand their businesses and further increase efficiencies.
A key part of my remit is to look at opportunities to attract new clients and assess the potential for business in a wider geographical area – and this is also a high priority.
We have some key developments in the pipeline – thanks to the resources available through CFH’s parent company, PlayTech – a $4 billion market capital organisation which is a FTSE 250 company. For example, CFH has done a lot of work in looking at different liquidity pools in the region and how best they can tailored to suit different client types and styles – and this hopefully will be of interest to both existing and new clients.
LR: What types of clients are you targeting from the Asian offices?
Alex: Regulated financial institutions, family offices and in-house money trading houses
LR: What do you consider to be the biggest challenges currently in the Asian market?
Alex: I don’t actually see big challenges. Our market space is well regulated and our peer group are well respected. For me, we are operating in a good, clean playing field – with significant opportunities available for companies such as CFH who continue to invest in the best people and the best technology and have offices located within the region.
LR: What specific experience are you bringing to CFH that will be beneficial to the organisation/to clients?
Alex: I have been in the industry for over 20 years and have a proven track record in business development, building teams and forging strong client relationships. For me, utilising this experience whilst working with an ambitious organisation at a time when there’s such huge potential for growth is a fantastic opportunity. I am ready to ‘hit the ground running’ and work closely with Christian Frahm and his team to help with the firm’s rapid growth in Asia.