Niki Beattie appointed to the IRESS Board

IRESS is pleased to announce the appointment of Niki Beattie to the IRESS Board.

Ms Beattie has more than twenty years working in financial technology and capital markets in management, board and advisory capacities. This includes 14 years in senior positions at Merrill Lynch International, based in Europe.

Ms Beattie, who lives in the United Kingdom, is currently non executive chairman of pan-European share trading platform Aquis Exchange, non-executive director of European financial services company Kepler Cheuvreux International and non-executive director of Russian exchange group, Moscow Exchange. She is chief executive of Market Structure Partners, an independent strategic advisory firm specialising in the structure of capital markets.

Ms Beattie is also a member of the Regulatory Decisions Committee of the UK Financial Conduct Authority and a member of the Secondary Markets Advisory Committee of the European Securities Markets Authority.

During a 14 year career at Merrill Lynch she held a range of senior roles including managing director, head of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) market structure, and director, head of MLX Market Edge and client facing technology. Her roles at Merrill Lynch were both operational and strategic, involving the implementation of technology, establishing new markets, running the firm’s electronic trading business, working with regulators and clients on the impact of regulatory change and implementing and managing the firm’s strategic investment in market structure-related companies.

IRESS chairman Tony D’Aloisio welcomed the appointment.

“Niki’s international expertise in financial technology and capital markets, both regulatory and structural, as well as her skills and experience in strategy and governance are of direct relevance to IRESS’ business and will further complement and strengthen the IRESS Board. She has a proven commercial record in financial technology and developing and implementing complex strategies across diverse markets.”

Ms Beattie will be an independent non-executive director. Her appointment will be effective from 1 February 2015.