IG Group appoints long standing senior executives Bridget Messer and Jon Noble as Executive Directors
Demonstrating IG Group’s unfaltering ability to retain and empower top industry talent, IG Group elevates two very senior and longstanding leaders to Executive Director status
Evergreen retail FX and CFD giant IG Group has appointed two long standing senior executives to its board, who will report directly to CEO Peter Hetherington.
Today, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Bridget Messer has been elevated to Executive Directorship status, representing her latest accolade during her thirteen year tenure at IG Group.
Ms Messer joined IG Group in May 2005 from the world’s fourth largest inerbank FX dealer Deutsche Bank where she was a Solicitor in the firm’s distressed debt department within the bank’s trading desk.
Following her graduation from Queensland University of Technology in Australia with a first class honors Batchelor of Laws (LLB) in 2001, Ms Messer joined Corrs Chambers Westgarth as a Solicitor, where she worked for three years within the Financial Services and Corporate Advisory division before joining Deutsche Bank in January 2005.
At IG Group, Ms Messer began her tenure in 2005 as Legal Counsel and for the first 10 years at IG Group she undertook a number of roles including General Counsel, Head of Compliance and Company Secretary.
IG Group promoted Ms Messer to her current role as Chief Commercial Officer in September 2015 where she is responsible for the Group’s strategy for attracting prospects to IG, and managing and developing IG’s client relationships.
One who clearly understands the holistic approach required in terms of trading environment, infrastructure and corporate strategy, Ms Messer has demonstrated her acumen to FinanceFeeds when meeting in London, and her Executive Directorship comes at a very poignant time for the company which is heading back to the United States with an office scheduled to open in Chicago shortly, following the company’s application to the National Futures Association for license to operate as an FX brokerage.
Speaking to many senior executives within the listed derivatives sector in Chicago recently, the response to FinanceFeeds when discussing this was that IG Group will be welcome back to America with open arms.
“I think it is safe to say when IG started, over 40 years ago, it was widely accepted that working and trading the financial markets was an opaque pursuit for the privileged few – and those privileged few were men. Seismic changes in technology and social attitudes, I’m delighted to say, now result in more women trading in the financial markets than ever before.
Earlier this year, Ms Messer spoke with mainstream media in London in an interview which looked at how to encourage all manner of traders.
“We want our clients to be successful traders and a successful trader doesn’t fit a stereotype. They come from all backgrounds but share key qualities: intellect, drive, confidence and ambition. These qualities don’t follow gender lines, and I’m glad we see increasing numbers of women entering the world of trading” she said.
“IG has evolved to become the world’s leading CFD and trading provider. We are constantly innovating and listening to our clients. If I had to outline the secret of our success it would be our determination to nurture diverse talent. You can’t innovate without disruption. It’s only by bringing together diverse people with different perspectives and insights and challenge them to pick apart the status quo that you get true innovation” said Ms Messer.
“It isn’t always easy to find this talent. In 2017, female programmers and software developers made up only 3.9% of the UK tech sector. In 2016, only 16% of computer science graduates in the UK were female. At IG, we’ve been looking at ways we can change this and bring more talented women into our sector. I’m delighted that we are working with Code First:Girls and supporting their campaign to teach 20,000 young women to code by 2020. Women are forging ahead both in and behind the scenes of trading. Long may it continue” she concluded.
Joining Ms Messer at Executive Director level is Jon Noble.
Mr Noble’s career-long tenure at IG Group represents another testimony to the company’s ability to retain talent and empower key executives over a long period.
Joining IG Group in 2007 having completed his formal education from which he graduated with an MBA at London Business School, Mr Noble became Trading Director within IG Group’s central London headquarters.
In 2012 he was promoted to become Chief Information Officer and has since then been responsible for setting and delivering the Group’s IT strategy and for the stability and security of IG’s technology. Jon has been with IG throughout his career having first joined IG in 2000 as a graduate trainee, rising to Dealing and Operations Director by 2010.
Making a commercial statement on the appointments, Andy Green, Chairman of IG Group today said “Following an extensive process, supported by external consultants, we are very pleased to welcome both Bridget and Jon to the Board. The IG knowledge and skills brought by Bridget and Jon to the Board will complement the considerable experience of Board members and help give a wider perspective to Board discussions.”
