R.J. O'Brien Appoints Janella Kaczanko Senior Vice President, Human Resources

CHICAGO, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the nation's oldest and largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm, announced today that Janella E. Kaczanko, 41, has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Kaczanko has spent the past 20 years building and re-engineering human resources departments and functions.

Gerald Corcoran, RJO Chairman & CEO, said:  "Janella has a solid track record of bringing a fresh perspective to leadership development and talent management within organizations, as well as starting up and managing critical human resources functions in newer organizations.  We look forward to her contributions to building on the tremendous talent pool that has sustained our leadership role in the industry."

Said Kaczanko: "The employees at R.J. O'Brien have a great spirit of camaraderie and warmth, which clearly contributes to the firm's reputation for terrific client service. I'm eager to work with the team here to bring the human resources functions to the next level as RJO continues to grow and prosper."

Kaczanko has spent most of the past 10 years in the futures industry, most recently as Vice President, Human Resources for MF Global in Chicago, which she joined in 2009. She was Human Resources Manager for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) from 2002 to 2007. Upon the exchange's merger with Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings, Inc., Kaczanko became Director, Talent Management for the combined entity now known as CME Group, responsible for the professional and leadership development, organizational effectiveness and succession planning of approximately 2,000 employees.

From 2008 to 2009, Kaczanko ran Human Resources as Vice President of the Intercall division of West Corporation.  With over 3,200 employees on three continents, the division is the world's largest provider of conferencing services. 

Prior to joining the CBOT, Kaczanko served as Human Resources Director for Senior Flexonics, Inc. in Barlett, Ill. From 1992 to 1998, she started human resources departments and functions for three automotive companies in Michigan, beginning with Masland Industries in 1992, where she served as Administration Manager for a design and technical center in Plymouth built to service Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. In 1994, she joined Electro-Wire Products (now ALCOA Fujikura, Ltd.) in Dearborn as Employment Manager, where she started the firm's employment department and centralized North American recruiting functions. She later took on the role of Manager, Compensation and Benefits.  In 1996, as Human Resources Manager for Shiloh of Michigan, LLC, in Romulus, Kaczanko initiated all aspects of human resources for the plant start-up as one of its first employees.

Certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®), Kaczanko earned a Bachelor of Science Management degree in 1992 from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and an MBA in 1997 from Wayne State University in Detroit.  She is a licensed instructor for the Dale Carnegie Leadership Training for Managers Course as well as the Dale Carnegie Course.  She and her husband reside in Chicago.

About R.J. O'Brien

Founded in 1914, RJO is the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States.  The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading technology and 24-hour trade execution on every futures exchange worldwide.  Clearing more than 100,000 client accounts, RJO services a global network of more than 400 introducing brokers and many of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions.  For more information, please visit www.rjobrien.com. 

SOURCE R.J. O'Brien & Associates