HERD

Reuters is sending out letters on Feb. 15 informing a group of former Quotron employees that their positions have been eliminated, according to a source close to the vendor. A spokesperson for Reuters says, "I can't tell you that Feb. 15 is the correct date, but yes, we will definitely ... be notifying Quotron staff members that their positions are being eliminated." The spokesperson, who declines to say how many people will be laid off, says the following departments will be affected: client administration, finance, network, the former Quotron regional computer centers and development. "This is all part of the integration of the Quotron product into Reuters," the spokesperson says. According to the source, the employees being terminated will receive a six-month severance package paid for by former Quotron parent Citibank. Says the spokesperson: "Employees will be paid severance which is consistent with the policy that was established at the time of the acquisition." At that time, Citi set aside an unspecified kitty to cover layoffs and other so-called rationalization costs (IMD, June 20, 1994).

Peter Levin, formerly vice president of trading room data distribution system vendor Micrognosis Inc.'s European operations has been appointed vice president of field operations and marketing worldwide, reporting to Micrognosis president Hank White, in what is being called a "realignment of [the company's] senior management team" (TST, Jan. 23). Under the realignment, White, who recently assumed the title of vice chairman and president of Micrognosis, now has Levin as his only direct sales and marketing report. Levin's two most senior direct reports will be vice presidents Pieter Hamman and Greg Amonette. Hamman has sales and marketing responsibilities for the Asia/Pacific region, while the newly hired Amonette will handle similar tasks as vice president and general manager of North America. Amonette most recently served as vice president of North American retail at ADP.

James Marvin has joined Knight-Ridder Financial/Americas as northeast region sales manager. Based in New York, Marvin reports to Gregory Harold, who recently joined the company as vice president of sales (IMD, Nov. 7, 1994). Marvin was previously director of North American sales for Citibank/Quotron Systems Inc., where he was responsible for managing the North American foreign exchange products group.

Leo McBlain, a vice president of ADP's Brokerage Information Services unit, has been selected as the 1996 chair for the Information Industry Association. During 1995 McBlain will serve on the Board Executive Committee as chair-elect. McBlain has been chair of the IIA's financial information services division for the past five years.

Dow Jones & Co. has named Carlos Salinas de Gortari, the former president of Mexico, to its board, increasing the size of the board to 17 directors from 16. An economist, Salinas was president of Mexico from December 1988 through November 1994.

The following officers and have begun their terms on the National Association of Securities Dealers' Board of Governors: Ian Davidson, chairman and chief executive officer of D.A. Davidson & Co. and Dadco in Great Falls, Mont., chairman; A. A. Sommer, Jr., counsel to Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington, D.C. and Richard McDermott, Jr., president of Chapdelaine & Co. in New York, both vice chairmen; Mary Alice Brophy, first vice president, Dain Bosworth Inc. in Minneapolis, chairman of the National Business Conduct Committee and Carl Lindros, president, Santa Barbara Securities Inc. in Santa Barbara, Calif., vice chairman of the National Business Conduct Committee.

Michael Wheeler, who recently was named president of NBC Desktop Video (IMD, Jan. 16), has announced six appointments to the news staff of the service, which provides video coverage of breaking news to the computer screens of financial professionals. Wheeler also announced staff appointments in marketing, technical support and sales.

The news appointments include Alison Tepper as director of programming for NBC Professional, which provides live financial news coverage; Hillary Lane as on-air anchor; Colin Hurlock as news editor; Ward Lassoe as assignment editor/producer in the D.C. bureau; Peter Schacknow as reporter and Richard Stockwell as assignment editor in Charlotte, N.C., working with NBC's news channel and affiliates.

Other appointments at NBC Desktop Video include Anne Stulz as director of marketing and Kirk Vartan as manager technical services.