Pan-European equities exchange Bats Chi-X Europe has hired one of the founders of rival platform Equiduct, David Howson, as chief operating officer.
Reporting to CEO Mark Hemsley, Howson will oversee Bats Chi-X Europe's software engineering, infrastructure and operational teams when he joins in June.
Howson arrives from Equiduct, which he helped found in 2006 and where he has since acted as chief technology officer, spearheading the design, implementation and management of the company's IT platform and market structure.
Prior to Equiduct, he was solutions architect and principal consultant at Reuters Consulting, where his work included implementing and integrating a pan-European equities trading platform for Nasdaq Europe.
Says Hemsley: "We are delighted to welcome David to Bats Chi-X Europe. He brings considerable experience to our management team, and a proven track record of implementing robust trading systems and operational excellence."
Howson's departure from Equiduct comes as the company's future hangs in the balance. Earlier this year, the FT reported that it could be forced to close down after being told that its largest shareholder Citadel Securities was stopping market-making on the platform.