LedgerEdge Names Neal as US Head

Former BNY Mellon head of Global Markets, Michelle Neal, has joined the growing list of FICC managers heading to the digital and fintech world, she has been named CEO of US operations by the LedgerEdge trading ecosystem, as it seeks to roll out a corporate bond platform built upon distributed ledger technology (DLT).

LedgerEdge is starting with the launch of a UK multi-lateral trading facility in Q3 2021, followed by a launch of a US alternative trading system in Q1 2022. It was founded in 2020 to address historic market structure issues by creating a new ecosystem in which participants maintain control of their data, see the market more clearly, and unlock liquidity.

Neal was most recently head of US FICC and global head of senior relationship management at RBC Capital Markets, after surprising many when she left her role as CEO of Global Markets at BNY Mellon in mid-2019. Prior to BNY Mellon, Neal was global head of listed derivatives, market clearing and market structure at Deutsche Bank, a role she held for just under two years, having joined from Nomura, where she was global head of markets trading, listed derivatives and prime brokerage. She has also served as global head of electronic markets and co-head of FICC prime services at RBS.

“I have devoted my career to the evolution and efficiency of capital markets and look forward to working with my new colleagues to further enhance market participants’ ability to unlock liquidity by finding, sharing and trading corporate bonds,” says Neal.

David Nicol, co-founder & CEO of LedgerEdge, adds, “[Michelle] will lead our efforts to serve the world’s largest bond market and provide essential product and market input as we develop the next generation ecosystem for trading. Michelle’s proven capabilities in building businesses and products, her strong network, and her deep expertise in electronic trading will be invaluable to the firm.”