David Mercer’s LMAX Group hires ex-Copper director Ilya Khazen to boost US presence

David Mercer-led LMAX Group has hired former Copper director Ilya Khazen to lead cross-asset sales.

In the newly established role, Khazen will report directly to Chris Knight, managing director at LMAX Digital. He will be based in New York.

Khazen, who previously worked at Goldman Sachs as a vice president in the bank’s prime brokerage business, joins LMAX Group from crypto custodian Copper, where he worked as a director and co-head of sales, responsible for performance, client relationships, people and revenue generation in North America.

“Ilya brings a wealth of both digital assets and traditional finance experience to LMAX Group and can hit the ground running as the world’s biggest banks and asset managers ready themselves for active crypto engagement. At a defining time in global capital markets, and with regulatory frameworks emerging, we believe that the Americas are set to become the world’s most significant, fused and integrated digitally enabled marketplace. Ilya will play a key role in capturing that opportunity and driving continued growth for LMAX Group in the region,” Mercer said.

“I’m delighted to be joining LMAX Group to further build its cross-asset offering at such a critical juncture. As an established business in FX and a first mover in institutional digital assets trading, I’m looking forward to leveraging my network and knowledge to help deliver on the strategic vision of LMAX Group’s entire business,” Khazen mentioned in an official announcement on 24 July.