CQG Names Benjamin Soong President, APAC and Rick Chang Head of Greater China

Rod Giffen Assumes New Role of Chief Experience Officer as Firm Evolves into Solutions Provider

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Dec 04, 2019, 07:00 ET

SINGAPORE and CHICAGO and DENVER, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CQG, a leading global provider of high-performance technology solutions for traders, brokers, commercial hedgers, and exchanges, announced that Benjamin Soong has joined the firm as President, APAC, and Rick Chang as Head of Greater China. Rod Giffen, who has served most recently as CQG President, APAC, has assumed the new role of Chief Experience Officer (CXO).

In the past two years, CQG has strengthened its presence in the Asia Pacific region, building up its staff, establishing an office and data center in Shanghai, and signing 14 futures commission merchants in China to help clients trade within China and into international markets.

Soong and Chang will operate out of CQG's Shanghai office. The move follows the recent appointment of Andy Jennings as CQG Head of EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), operating out of the London office.

Ryan Moroney, CQG President, said: "As we embark next year on our 40^th anniversary – representing one of the most enduring technology firms in the financial markets industry – we have evolved in the past couple of years from a product-focused company to one that offers a range of critical solutions throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC. We've made significant changes to our structure and laid the foundation to ensure we are nimble and can scale as an organization.

"Ben and Rick bring a wealth of experience and have extraordinary relationships in APAC and specifically within China. Ben is perfectly positioned to lead our business and ensure we continue to meet the diverse needs in the region. Combined with Andy's recent elevation to Head of EMEA, Rod's new role of CXO, our outstanding blend of long-standing employees, and the talented new hires we've been adding to offices globally, we are dedicated more than ever to helping clients meet the unique challenges they face around the world with innovative, tailored market solutions."

Soong said: "It is a very exciting time to join CQG, as the company continues to expand rapidly across the globe. As the financial markets become more integrated, CQG's strong track record as a market leader in financial markets technology – along with our new commitment to comprehensive solutions – make us the ideal choice for meeting growing demand in the region. Technology today is evolving rapidly, and customers are constantly looking for better stability, functionality, and coverage without sacrificing efficiency. With our solutions, end-users don't have to compromise. I look forward to building a world-class team that will help us accelerate our growth across Asia Pacific."

Soong most recently served as Head of Asia Pacific for Ledger, a global leader in blockchain security technology. He previously spent more than 12 years at S&P Global Market Intelligence, ultimately as Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific Sales and Relationship Management. Beyond more than two decades of sales, business development, and operations experience, Soong also held finance and accounting roles at KPMG and Deloitte.

Chang also joined CQG from Ledger, where he served as Head of Commercial & Operations in Asia Pacific, overseeing market development for several business lines. In his new role, he will report to Soong and oversee CQG's continued growth in Greater China. Chang spent eight years at S&P Global Market Intelligence in Hong Kong and China, most recently as Senior Director, Head of Sales, China.

CQG's APAC presence includes offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

About CQG:

CQG provides the industry's highest performing solutions for traders, brokers, commercial hedgers, and exchanges for their market-related activities globally, including trading, market data, advanced technical analysis, risk management, and account administration. The firm partners with the vast majority of futures brokerage and clearing firms and provides Direct Market Access (DMA) to more than 45 exchanges through its global network of co-located Hosted Exchange Gateways. CQG technology serves as the front end for a variety of exchanges, and the firm's technology is increasingly employed as the over-the-counter matching engine for important new markets. CQG's server-side order management tools for spreading, market aggregation, and smart orders are unsurpassed for speed and ease of use. Its market data feed consolidates 85 sources, including exchanges worldwide for futures, options, fixed income, foreign exchange, and equities, as well as data on debt securities, industry reports, and financial indices. CQG has received the Prop Traders' ISV of the Year award from FOW (now Global Investor Group), the Best Technical Analysis Platform award from The Technical Analyst, and the Best Product for Traders award from Finance Magnates for its multi-asset trading platform. CQG is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with 16 sales and support offices and data centers in key markets globally.

SOURCE CQG