The 2015 Tech 50: Brian Conlon

The First Derivatives CEO debuts at No. 37 on this year’s Tech 50 ranking.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-brian-conlon-small.jpg

< The 2015 Tech 50: Racers to the Edge

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-brian-conlon.jpg

37
Brian Conlon
Chief Executive Officer
First Derivatives
PNR

When Brian Conlon left a consulting job with SunGard Data Systems to found First Derivatives in 1996, he didn’t change his line of work. The Newry, Northern Ireland–based company grew up as a financial technology consulting firm. But after accumulating expertise working with market data and trading platforms, First Derivatives in 2008 began to roll out its Delta suite of software applications, which today includes platforms for trading, trade surveillance, data management and analytics. “The company’s heritage is in the capital markets industry, where we’ve been working on a lot of the trouble banks have been facing in dealing with large amounts of real-time and historical data,” notes CEO Conlon, 48. “Banks are faced with millions upon millions of prices and codes coming in every second, changing the value of their portfolio, changing the pricing of their products and changing their risk position.” In what Conlon termed “the most significant development” of the fiscal year ended February 2015, the company last fall bought a controlling interest in Palo Alto, California–based Kx Systems, whose kdb+ time-series databases power trading, risk and other data-intensive functions at top Wall Street firms (and whose chief strategy officer, Simon Garland, was No. 38 last year). Conlon says the Kx technology, thanks to years of collaborative effort among developers and users, has been “sharpened and honed” to the point of being “almost faultless.” First Derivatives reported a 19 percent year-over-year increase in revenue, to £83.2 million ($129 million), and Conlon says he is eyeing big-data-type opportunities in such nonfinancial sectors as utilities, oil and gas, health care, pharmaceuticals and the Internet of Things.

See the full story, “The 2015 Tech 50: Racers to the Edge.”


The 2015 Tech 50

Sponsored

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jeffrey-sprecher-thumb.png

1. Jeffrey Sprecher
Intercontinental Exchange

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-catherine-bessant-thumb.png

2. Catherine Bessant
Bank of America Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-phupinder-gill-thumb.png

3. Phupinder Gill
CME Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lance-uggla-thumb.png

4. Lance Uggla
Markit

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-robert-goldstein-thumb.png

5. Robert Goldstein
BlackRock

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-shawn-edwards-vlad-kliatschk-thumb.png

6. Shawn Edwards &
Vlad Kliatchko
Bloomberg

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-martin-chavez-thumb.png

7. R. Martin Chavez
Goldman Sachs Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-deborah-hopkins-thumb.png

8. Deborah Hopkins
Citi Ventures

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-stephen-neff-thumb.png

9. Stephen Neff
Fidelity Investments

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-adena-friedman-thumb.png

10. Adena Friedman
Nasdaq OMX Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-david-craig-thumb.png

11. David Craig
Thomson Reuters

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-daniel-coleman-thumb.png

12. Daniel Coleman
KCG Holdings

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-michael-spencer-thumb.png

13. Michael Spencer
ICAP

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-michael-bodson-thumb.png

14. Michael Bodson
Depository Trust & Clearing Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-charles-li-thumb.png

15. Charles Li
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-chris-concannon-thumb.png

16. Chris Concannon
BATS Global Markets

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-christopher-perretta-thumb.png

17. Christopher Perretta
State Street Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-antoine-shagoury-thumb.png

18. Antoine Shagoury
London Stock Exchange Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-kevin-rhein-thumb.png

19. Kevin Rhein
Wells Fargo & Co.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-neil-katz-thumb.png

20. Neil Katz
D.E. Shaw & Co.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lee-olesky-thumb.png

21. Lee Olesky
Tradeweb Markets

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-richard-mcvey-thumb.png

22. Richard McVey
MarketAxess Holdings

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-seth-merrin-thumb.png

23. Seth Merrin
Liquidnet Holdings

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-robert-alexander-thumb.png

24. Robert Alexander
Capital One Financial Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-frank-bisignano-thumb.png

25. Frank Bisignano
First Data Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-john-marcante-thumb.png

26. John Marcante
Vanguard Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-joe-squeri-thumb.png

27. Joseph Squeri
Citadel

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lou-eccleston-thumb.png

28. Lou Eccleston
TMX Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-claude-honegger-thumb.png

29. Claude Honegger
Credit Suisse

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-chris-corrado-thumb.png

30. Chris Corrado
MSCI

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-david-gledhill-thumb.png

31. David Gledhill
DBS Bank

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-john-bates-thumb.png

32. John Bates
Software AG

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-michael-cooper-thumb.png

33. Michael Cooper
BT Radianz

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-gary-scholten-thumb.png

34. Gary Scholten
Principal Financial Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-sunil-hirani-thumb.png

35. Sunil Hirani
trueEX Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-hauke-stars-thumb.png

36. Hauke Stars
Deutsche BÖrse

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-brian-conlon-thumb.png

37. Brian Conlon
First Derivatives

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jim-minnick-thumb.png

38. Jim Minnick
eVestment

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lars-seier-christensen-kim-fournais-thumb.png

39. Lars Seier Christensen & Kim Fournais

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-tyler-kim-thumb.png

40. Tyler Kim
MaplesFS

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jim-mcguire-thumb.png

41. Jim McGuire
Charles Schwab Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-steven-ohanlon-thumb.png

42. Steven O’Hanlon
Numerix

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-sebastian-ceria-thumb.png

43. Sebastián Ceria
Axioma

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-yasuki-okai-thumb.png

44. Yasuki Okai
NRI Holdings America

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-stephane-dubois1-thumb.png

45. Stephane Dubois
Xignite

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-mazy-dar-thumb.png

46. Mazy Dar
OpenFin

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-brian-sentance-thumb.png

47. Brian Sentance
Xenomorph Software

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-mas-nakachi-thumb.png

48. Mas Nakachi
OpenGamma

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-john-lehner-thumb.png

49. John Lehner
BNY Mellon Technology Solutions Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jock-percy-thumb.png

50. Jock Percy
Perseus


Related