R.J. O'Brien Appoints Ardizzone Global Head of FX Sales

20-Year Veteran to Build Firm's Institutional FX Business from New York

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Sep 04, 2013, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest and largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, announced today that Matthew Ardizzone, a 20-year veteran of the foreign exchange (FX) industry, has joined the firm as Global Head of FX Sales. Ardizzone is charged with growing the firm's institutional FX presence, particularly among commodity trading advisors (CTAs), hedge funds and FX portfolio managers.

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Reporting to Phillip Fondren, Executive Director and Head of FX, Ardizzone is building out the operation from RJO's New York office with plans to expand globally next year.

Fondren said: "We're thrilled that Matt has joined our team to direct our business development efforts in FX. Over the past couple of years, we have established a robust infrastructure to support our growing institutional FX business. With this foundation, Matt can take us to the next level with his great breadth of experience and strong relationships in the global FX community."

Ardizzone said: "Complementing RJO's strong futures clearing and execution capabilities and established footprint in managed futures, our FX trading operation is ideally positioned to leverage the firm's solid platform by providing both cash and exchange-for-physical (EFP) pricing on a global basis. We are focused solely on client business, providing full market access, coverage and transparency. Our goal is to provide the unrivaled level of customer service that RJO's client base has come to expect."

Ardizzone was most recently Executive Director - FX Sales for Nomura Securities in New York. Previously he served for seven years as Global Head of FX Sales at Jefferies Bache (formerly Prudential Bache), based in New York. Prior to joining Prudential in 2005, Ardizzone was Founder and CEO of Aurora Capital Management Ltd. Bermuda. Earlier in his career, he was a senior FX sales/trader at Refco Capital Markets Bermuda. He started in the FX business as a trader at Banque Indosuez in Sydney.

A native of Australia, Ardizzone earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in economics and finance from the University of Western Sydney.

About R.J. O'Brien

Founded in 1914, RJO is the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, serving institutional, commercial and individual clients globally, in addition to a network of 400 introducing brokers (IB). Clearing more than 100,000 client accounts, RJO services the industry's most expansive global network of IBs, a vast array of middle market firms and many of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading and 24-hour trade execution on every futures exchange worldwide. For more information, visit www.rjobrien.com.

SOURCE R.J. O'Brien & Associates