FD CEO Conlon Replaces Lustgarten as Kx Shuffles Execs

Janet Lustgarten, co-founder of Kx, will step down from her current role as Kx chief executive to become chairwoman of Kx and a member of First Derivatives' board of directors, and will be replaced as CEO by FD CEO Brian Conlon. Current Kx chairman Arthur Whitney will become a member of FD's board.

In addition, Mark Sykes─who joined Kx as head of global market strategy earlier this year (IMD, July 14, 2015)─becomes Kx chief operating officer, with responsibility for the vendor's day-to-day operations and global client relationships in addition to his current duties, and will join FD's executive management team.

"Since becoming part of the FD Group, I have been impressed by its growth potential not only within capital markets but also within other verticals such as Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals and the Utilities sector," Lustgarten says in a statement. "Over the past 22 years I transitioned from entrepreneur to CEO and now feel the time is right for Brian to lead Kx. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Brian and the FD board in helping to set the group's strategy and driving the business forward."