Chicago-based R.J. O’Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest and largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, today announced that Stephen A. Brodsky – long-time exchange, trading and capital markets executive – has just joined the firm as Chief Strategy Officer. Brodsky, also Senior Managing Director, reports to Chairman and CEO Gerald Corcoran in the newly created role.

Brodsky served most recently as CEO of equity options trading firm Spot Trading, and he held several leadership roles at the Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX). His background also includes private equity and investment banking.

Corcoran said: “Steve has made his mark with a diverse career and extensive markets, strategy, finance and leadership experience.  It’s rare to find someone with such a powerful combination of hands-on markets and trading experience and capital markets as well as strategic expertise. We’re fortunate to be able to harness his background, skills and talent on behalf of RJO, as he leads our strategic growth initiatives across all areas of the firm.”

Brodsky said: “I had the opportunity to work with Gerry and RJO in my early days of investment banking and have always appreciated how the firm treats its clients, seizes opportunities and weathers industry events. I’m truly excited to embark on this next stage of my career and to have an impact on the organization going forward as we identify new areas of potential pursuit, analyze the evolving competitive landscape and meet ever-new challenges that face the futures industry.”

For the past five years, Brodsky served as CEO of Spot Trading. He joined the firm in November 2010 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), responsible for leading its efforts in strategic financial planning and managing its relationships with capital providers, exchanges and clearing firms.

Brodsky was a managing director at Vernon & Park Capital, a private equity firm focusing on investments in exchange and financial markets, from 2008 to 2010.

Brodsky joined CHX in 2003 as Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and later became CFO. He was instrumental in the CHX demutualization and subsequent successful capital-raising initiative, after which he became President and CFO of the newly formed parent company, CHX Holdings Inc.

He began his career as an associate in the corporate finance department at John Nuveen & Co., Inc. He later joined Mesirow Financial as a Vice President in the investment banking department.

Brodsky is a member of the National Association of Investment Professionals. He serves on the boards of directors of Chicago Shakespeare Theater and ChicagoNEXT, an initiative of World Business Chicago. He is also on the Advisory Board of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Brodsky earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctor and MBA from Northwestern University.

About R.J. O’Brien & Associates

Founded in 1914, R.J. O’Brien & Associates is the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, serving institutional, commercial and individual clients globally, in addition to a network of 400 introducing brokers (IBs). Clearing more than 80,000 client accounts, RJO services the industry’s most expansive global network of IBs, a vast array of middle market firms and many of the world’s largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading and 24-hour trade execution on every major futures exchange worldwide.