Citi Announces Hires In Japan Futures, OTC Clearing & Prime Finance

Citi announced June 25 several strategic hires in Japan, reinforcing its commitment to the Japanese Futures, OTC Clearing and Prime Finance markets.

Jerome Kemp, Global Head of Futures and OTC Clearing, said: “Citi is deeply committed to Japan, and we believe that our continued strategic investments in the team and our technology platform will serve as core differentiators going forward.”

Hiroko Sato joins the division as a Director to lead both listed and OTC derivatives clearing origination as well as Prime Brokerage Sales. With 12 years of industry experience, Sato joins Citi from hedge fund Fusion Investments where she was a partner. She had previously been a top-rated analyst with JP Morgan and UBS.

Masako Saito, an E-trading specialist who joins from Daiwa Securities as a Vice President, will focus on distribution of Citi’s new flagship exchange-listed trading platform, Citi Futures and Options Execution. Maiko Ohara, a Vice President who has relocated from Citi’s Chicago office, will further augment the domestic Futures sales team in Japan.

The Global Futures and OTC clearing business is part of a major strategic initiative for Citi. Conor Cunningham, Asia and Pacific Head of Futures and OTC Clearing, said: “We are very pleased with the expertise these individuals bring to our team as we continue to expand our client footprint in Japan. As the timetable for implementation of G20 commitment to derivatives clearing approaches, Citi is well positioned to serve the needs of our clients in this space.”

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