IG Group, a London-headquartered spread betting and CFD trading provider, has tapped Adam Wheelwright, a former Managing Director at NatWest Group, as its Chief Technology Officer. The broker says it is onboarding Wheelwright "to drive its innovation agenda.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, IG Group noted that Wheelwright, who will resume the role on April 17, 2023, will be based in the brokerage firm’s London office. The senior executive brings nearly three decades of financial industry experience to the role.

Wheelwright’s appointment comes a day after IG Group disclosed that it has signed an agreement to acquire Small Exchange to expand its US offerings and leverage the Chicago-based futures exchange’s trading technology.

Before being tapped by IG Group, Wheelwright served as the Chief Information Officer of the National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace team, a government-funded service which later became part of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). At the agency, he spearheaded the “design, delivery and evolution of all technological solutions supporting the nation’s pandemic response," IG Group said.

IG Group’s Wheelwright’s “Extensive Experience”

According to IG Group, Wheelwright has “extensive experience in designing and delivering complex, transformational technology projects across financial services and large organizations.” In addition, he has worked cross-country, leading teams in the United States, Europe and Asia.

At NatWest Group, the senior executive co-founded Bó, a digital retail banking company and served as its Chief Operating Officer for two and a half years between September 2017 and February 2020. On his LinkedIn profile, Wheelwright wrote that he initially served additional roles at BO, including as the Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Procurement Officer.

Among other roles at NatWest, Wheelwright functioned as the Chief Administrative Officer for NatWest Markets and led the NatWest Group's capital markets arm’s £500 million digital transformation programme.

During the earlier years of his career, Wheelwright worked at Nomura, Dresdner Kleinwort and UBS as the Global Head of Change Managment, Managing Director, and Executive Director, respectively, all between 2009 and 1999.

Speaking on Wheelwright’s appointment, June Felix, the CEO at IG Group, noted that the senior executive brings “decades of experience in delivering innovation as strategy to diversify our products and geographies.”

“I am looking forward to working closely with the senior management team to further strengthen the business’ technology capabilities as a leading global fintech company and drive forward its ambitious agenda,” Wheelwright added.

Meanwhile, rival Capital.com recently hired Niamh Byrne, who previously spent 14 years at IG Group, as its Head of UK and Ireland to provide execution support for its deal with OvalX. Furthermore, Ramon Kaur recently left her role as the Global Head of communications at IG Group after spending nearly six years at the brokerage firm.

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