KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (Business Wire) BATS Trading Inc., the fast-growing U.S. market center headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., announces the opening of an expanded New York office at historic 14 Wall Street, and two new additions to its sales team.
The latest additions to the BATS sales organization are Joe Bracco, a Cantor Fitzgerald veteran, and Tom Cesare, who spent the past nine years in various roles of responsibility at HSBC and Credit Suisse’s Swiss American Securities group in New York. John Denza and Lauren Sbordone, who joined BATS in early 2007, round out the New York sales group and Randy Williams, BATS’ vice president in charge of sales and communications, is relocating to New York to lead the team. Eric Swanson, BATS’ senior vice president and general counsel, also works out of the Wall Street office.
“We are a Kansas City company and will remain Kansas City-based but we also understand that an increased sales presence in New York is important to our customers and essential to our growth,” said Joe Ratterman, chief executive of BATS. “Operating from a Wall Street location with more feet on the ground is yet another way to enhance the BATS experience for subscribers.”
Mr. Williams, who has been with BATS in Kansas City since October 2006, added that “We are very excited about this step and the opportunity to grow closer to our customers. Equally, we are fortunate to add proven talents such as Joe and Tom to the sales organization.
“Joe brings a tremendous amount of sales experience to BATS with a proven history of building relationships at Cantor Fitzgerald. And, of course, it’s great to bring Tom into the fold, with his vast trading background and unique ability to connect with traders,” he said.
At BATS, Mr. Bracco’s efforts are focused on order management system providers as well as accounts in the New York region and Pennsylvania. Most recently at Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr. Bracco was responsible for building, managing and maintaining relationships with large primary dealers, hedge funds, futures trading accounts and regional dealers. Previously, at Cantor’s Tradespark unit, he was instrumental in the rebuilding and sales of the firm’s electronic energy trading platform following the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is a graduate of St. John’s University, New York, and can be reached at 212.378.8527 or jbracco@batstrading.com.
Mr. Cesare holds accounts in the New York region and, along with the rest of the New York sales team, is charged with driving subscriber growth. He brings outstanding and diverse credentials to BATS, with his most recent role as vice president of electronic trading services at HSBC Americas. Prior to joining HSBC, Mr. Cesare held a variety of roles at Swiss American Securities, where he was responsible for electronic order flow. Rounding out his resume, Mr. Cesare began his career at the National Securities Clearing Corporation. He is a graduate of Shippensberg University, Pennsylvania, and can be reached at 212.378.8526 or tcesare@batstrading.com.
Randy Williams, vice president of sales and communications, and Jon Schneider, sales manager, are the contacts for BATS connectivity in the U.S. Firms interested in connecting in Europe should contact Ken Conklin, senior vice president of business development, at the coordinates below.
About BATS Trading
BATS Trading, based in Kansas City, Mo., with additional offices in New York and London, was launched in January 2006 and operates one of the fastest-growing, top-tier equity markets in the United States with plans for a Europe launch in 2008. The BATS platform is developed by a core team of market and technology professionals, catering to the needs of the broker-dealer community. Included in the BATS customer base are more than 280 broker-dealers and a broad-based ownership group including Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, GETCO, JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers, Lime Brokerage, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Tradebot and Wedbush. BATS…Making Markets Better.
BATS Trading Inc.
Media/Analysts:
Randy Williams, 816-285-9922 or 816-516-2179
rwilliams@batstrading.com
or
To Connect in Europe:
Ken Conklin, 816-285-9907
kconklin@batstrading.com
or
To Connect in US:
Jon Schneider, 816-285-9924
jschneider@batstrading.com
