BTIG Hires Leading UK Trader to Expand European Operations

-- Eddie Benson to head BTIG's European Salestrading

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BTIG LLC, a global financial services firm specializing in institutional trading and related brokerage services, has hired Eddie Benson to help run its expanding European operations. Benson, who most recently traded for clients at Deutsche Bank, will serve as managing director and BTIG's head of European salestrading, a newly-created position.

"Hiring Eddie represents a major coup for BTIG," said Matthew Cyzer, president and head of European equities. "Having worked alongside him at Deutsche Bank for many years, I consider him to be, quite simply, the best in the business. His experience, enthusiasm and deep client relationships are unmatched and will be hugely beneficial as we continue to expand our European business."

Benson comes to BTIG with three decades of experience as a London-based trader. Starting out at Rowe and Pitman in 1981, he quickly established himself as one of the youngest members of the London Stock Exchange. After SG Warburg merged with Rowe and Pitman, Benson ran the firm's option floor broking business from 1986 to 1990 and later ran Warburg's European Equity salestrading desk.

Benson joined Deutsche Bank in 1996 to help build their European Equity platform, and until 2005, ran Deutsche's International Salestrading team, which at the time was the largest franchise in Europe by revenue. At its peak, Benson had a staff of roughly 200 traders and salespeople reporting to him.

After 2006, Benson focused on pure client coverage for Deutsche, and became one of the largest revenue-producing salestraders in Europe. At BTIG, he will continue to cover many of the most significant and successful clients in the world. He's particularly known for his U.S.-based institutional relationships, which BTIG believes are unparalleled in terms of longevity and quality across the equity spectrum.

"Eddie's hire reaffirms BTIG's commitment, not just to the further build out of its European equity franchise but its commitment generally to the highest levels of client service," said Steven Starker, Co-Founder of BTIG. "We don't think it's an exaggeration to say that BTIG couldn't have hired anybody who better embodies its culture and client philosophy than Eddie."

About BTIG

BTIG LLC is a premier institutional brokerage and fund services company. BTIG continues to build its global franchise around a broad and experienced group of professionals who are leaders and experts in their respective fields. Founded in 2002, BTIG, including through its affiliates, employs more than 400 professionals in five different countries. BTIG serves customers from all over the world and offers services in 11 areas: Equity Trading, Fixed Income, Futures Trading, Convertible Securities, Equity Derivatives, Prime Brokerage, Outsource Trading, Direct Market Access, Capital Markets, Equity Research and Corporate Access. BTIG has ten domestic offices: New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Greenwich, Red Bank, Norwalk and Orinda. The firm also has four overseas affiliates: London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney.

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