Tradewind, a financial technology company focused on blockchain solutions, has appointed Leon Shklar as Chief Technology Officer. Leon, who was most recently Managing Director (Technology) at BNY Mellon, will be responsible for all aspects of the firm’s technology including architecture, infrastructure, business applications and innovation.
“Having started with precious metals, our mission is to make alternative assets more accessible to investors, lenders, and borrowers through digitization. We are excited to welcome Leon to our executive team to accelerate our execution,” said Michael Albanese, Chief Executive Officer, who joined the company from J.P. Morgan in April. “Leon is a highly accomplished technologist with a history of successful implementation of web, mobile, and retail platforms across notable technology, finance, and media firms. He has a proven track record of delivering large-scale internet applications and has built and led global software development teams.”
During his tenure at BNY Mellon, Leon led the development of a platform that facilitated the integration of business applications across the bank. He spearheaded the acquisition of a technology company in Israel and was a board member of BNY Mellon Tel Aviv. Previously, Leon worked for Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds globally. Leon also held technical leadership roles at the New York Times, Thomson Reuters, and Wall Street Journal / Dow Jones, where he was responsible for developing and scaling software across a global, distributed user base. In addition to his corporate success, he is a co-author of the textbook Web Application Architecture: Principles, Protocols and Practices and holds two US patents on representation and search of heterogeneous data. Leon graduated from Rutgers University with a Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Leon will lead Technology as the company continues to enable assets to be traded, settled and held in custody more securely and cost-effectively. Tradewind launched the first of its solutions for alternative asset classes last year. Tradewind’s VaultChainTM Gold and VaultChainTM Silver products provide investors direct ownership of physical gold and silver, with custody and settlement recorded on a blockchain.
“Blockchain and distributed ledger technology bring transparency, trust and immutability to multiple asset classes — and that’s a game-changer” said Leon. “I’m pleased to join Tradewind’s talented team. Together, we are strengthening the ecosystem for precious metals and other alternative assets — enabling clearer title of ownership, smooth deployment as collateral, and more secure custody.”
As CTO, Leon will be based in New York City and will report to the CEO.
About Tradewind Markets
Tradewind Markets is a financial technology company that enables alternative assets to be traded, settled, and mobilized with increased security, transparency, and cost efficiency. Tradewind created a digital precious metals market that uses blockchain technology to streamline custody, trade execution, settlement and the maintenance of supply chain information. The Tradewind platform has been adopted by leading institutions in the precious metals market, including the Royal Canadian Mint. Shareholders include IEX Group, Sprott, Goldcorp, Agnico Eagle Mines, IAMGOLD, Wheaton Precious Metals, and Sapphire Ventures.
For more information, please visit: https://tradewindmarkets.com/
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