Brunt Swaps out Watson at Tradition Data

Richard Brunt, the managing director for Fenics and market data at GFI is joining TraditionData as chief revenue officer, replacing James Watson, the global head of data sales who is set to leave his role after seven years at the company.

Scott Fitzpatrick, the global head of TraditionData tells The Full FX that Brunt’s hire comes as part of a broader strategic change that will see further senior hires to come. “We are taking the business to the next level. Richard’s appointment is about repositioning the business for the next phase of growth and establishing strategic partnerships for data creation, analytics and distribution,” he says.

He added that new technologies and their impact on the data landscape will be a key priority for the company in the next 12 months, as it continues to leverage its position as a trusted source of data as AI and machine learning puts data fidelity into the spotlight.

Brunt will continue to be based in Singapore in his new role, he spent over 11 years at GFI, and will be globally responsible for products across asset classes. The firm says his job will focus on responding to client demand and growing the company’s footprint with both vendors and consumers. Brunt started his career at then-Reuters in 1993 and he spent 11 years at the company.

Watson, meanwhile, is leaving TraditionData after seven years, joining in August 2017 after spending three years as the CEO of ADS Securities UK, the Abu Dhabi broker’s European arm.

He also started his career at then-Reuters in 1985, spending more than 13 years at the company and rising to become the head of FX for North America. He left his role for the start-up world of Silicon Valley in 1998, before rejoining finance at GFI in 2001. He worked for Lehman Brothers, Société Générale and Morgan Stanley before joining FXall in 2012.