Happy 5th Anniversary to our Amsterdam office

To celebrate this important milestone, we asked five colleagues five questions, one for each year our Amsterdam office has been around. They told us what inspired them to join MarketAxess in the first place, their first impressions and how the office has changed, as well as what they're looking forward to in the next five years.

Geoffroy VanderLinden, Country Head, the Netherlands
Rhian Ravenscroft, Legal
Frederick Gentis, Sales
Georgy Golovanov, Compliance
Kirsty Smith, Customer Operations

What inspired you to join MarketAxess?

Geoffroy: MarketAxess had a fantastic energy, a pioneering strategy combined with colleagues balancing high ambitions with care. When I started, it was still a fairly small company in Europe, so I was fortunate to join at that time and be part of the journey early on. It was not easy every day, but so happy to have seen the company grow and be so successful. The company leaders were also truly unique and inspiring.

Rhian: I joined MarketAxess back in 2014, when I was looking to move from a law firm, where part of my work involved investments in and acquisitions of tech companies. I wanted to learn more about working as a lawyer at a technology company and saw the opportunity to join MarketAxess as regulated fintech is an exciting intersection for a lawyer. I really enjoyed the interview process, with Miranda Morad and Scott Pintoff, General Council, and got the impression it was a company that was moving fast, where I would learn a lot from my colleagues and I would be challenged. It turned out I was right on all counts, and each still holds true ten years on!

Fred: MarketAxess is the personification of where Fixed Income – a market in which I had been working for a decade at the time and love – is heading. Being able to be a part of, and contribute to, this transition is really exciting!

Georgy: Joining MarketAxess in August 2019 marked the start of an exceptional work experience, just on the brink of the pandemic's outbreak. Our Dutch team, still relatively small with about 8-9 members, occupied a charming early XVIII-century building overlooking the Amsterdam canal. The timing was intriguing as we had recently acquired our EU MTF and DRSP licenses from the AFM, setting the stage for a dynamic period of growth in every department, including my department, Compliance.

Kirsty: The two main reasons I joined almost three months ago are the innovation that MarketAxess brings to the trading sector and the culture, which was very appealing during my interviews. This is my second role after university, where I studied Data Science, so I'm still new to the industry and I'm excited to learn more.

What were your first impressions of the Amsterdam office and how have these impressions evolved?

Geoffroy: It was such a unique experience to be able to open a new office and a new business in Amsterdam, put our own mark and grow the business. We were full of excitement but also had to navigate through the uncertainty. Five years ago, we were a team of four people, with no clients live on either the trading or the post-trade platform. Now, we have over 800 clients across both businesses, with 25 amazing people across five offices all over Europe.

Rhian: While moving yourself and your family to a new country is never an easy process, I was very excited about the opportunity and the change that opening the Amsterdam office brought. It was a chance to do something beyond law and learn more about the business as a whole and to be involved in a project with a big impact. There was a lot to do, and not just in terms of getting the business ready from the regulatory side, so we had a few very busy years.

Fred: I started working for MKTX during the COVID lockdown with no chance to go to the office or even meet any of my colleagues in person. Despite being remote, everyone gave me a very warm welcome and MKTX felt like a family from the start. Now, just over three years later, the feeling hasn’t changed. Both the Amsterdam and Sales teams are very tight and I consider many not just colleagues, but also friends.

Georgy: The pandemic prompted a shift to remote work, but, I believe, this only strengthened our team spirit. Despite distances, we remained a cohesive group, always ready to support each other. Our small size turned out to be an advantage; we had a close-knit connection that allowed for easy and informal communication, which differentiates us from other companies.

Kirsty: Everyone in the office was very friendly and I was lucky because our summer party happened to land on my first day, so it was a great time to bond with everyone over paddle tennis and dinner. The office is an open space where you can speak out, which is something that I now appreciate more fully.

What makes you proudest to be part of the Amsterdam team and how are you helping Take Us There?

Geoffroy: We have a very diverse team (with 15 nationalities!), all working in different departments and learning from each other. We are proud to welcome colleagues who have decided to work here, coming from other locations. And we have been able to grow the team across multiple regions in Europe (five offices) to be closer to our clients. Amsterdam has also enabled us to grow the business through multiple investments or acquisitions (Reporting Hub from DBAG, for example) and it will continue to be a platform that will grow and expand.

Rhian: There are several different functions represented in the Amsterdam office and it is a pleasure to work with people with different skills and passions, all within the same business. Being in a smaller office, with people who have often moved from their home country to work or study abroad, means there are lots of opportunities to learn from others, outside of your function, as people here are always keen to get stuck in and try something new—which is a great collaborative atmosphere to be in. I believe collaboration is key to our growth as a company, as a whole.

Fred: The Amsterdam team is a small team with many different roles represented. Small but very diversified, our team has 15(!) different nationalities. Making this global group feel like ‘family’ is characteristic of the culture we have and strive for at MKTX. At 43 years old (I know!) I’m one of the oldest in the office and it’s great to share experiences with younger colleagues and help them understand how to think outside the box in unexpected situations or explain why investors trade what they trade.

Kirsty: I'm the newest member of the team and what I like most is the analytical side of my role. I sit within the Operations team, looking at the queries we receive from clients and answering them. To Take Us There, I want to get more involved on the client side, understanding and helping different clients with our overall system and seeing where I can improve it in the future. In the meantime, I'm learning everything – especially about how the regulations are evolving.

Georgy: What I appreciate most about our team is the shared sense of connection. Beyond work, we engage in various activities, from crafting bikes using spare parts to enjoying cheese tastings or arranging festive Christmas decoration sessions. These moments not only break the monotony but also foster a positive and collaborative atmosphere.

What's your favorite story from your time with us?

Geoffroy: Beyond opening and managing the business in Amsterdam and all the fantastic social events we had here (building bikes for Africa, wreath making, cooking classes, paddle tournament…), it would have to be building and delivering the trade report and transparency business lines in 2018. It was truly a demanding but rewarding experience! I still remembered the go-live when we were all waiting to see the first trade to be printed. When it came through, we all had a sense of relief and achievement.

Rhian: There have been a lot of stories over the past ten years, and some big projects completed that have been a lot of fun (for example the MiFID II implementation and various acquisitions), so too many to mention here—you will have to ask me about them! As a small office here, we have had some very good social occasions where we always try and introduce an activity of some sort. And while I can’t possibly choose which one was my favorite, our most recent one was an office paddle tournament, which was a new sport for most of us to learn and was great fun.

Fred: Working in Sales I enjoy meeting (new) clients, especially when it’s outside the office. To me, FILS is the event that brings everyone together and offers the opportunity to meet up with friends, connect with clients (from other countries) and reconnect with peers and former colleagues. I have only missed one edition since starting in Fixed Income in 2008 and to me it’s the ultimate combination of mixing work with pleasure. The many Dutch clients that attend every year, of course, also helps.

Kirsty: It must be the summer party - that was fun and I got to meet everyone.

What excites you about the next 5 years with MarketAxess?

Geoffroy: The innovation we are bringing to the bond market and expanding into a new frontier are all very exciting, paired with the new phase of the journey that we are embarking on. I can see that we will be bringing more automation, more data solutions, more trading and post-trade efficiency across multiple asset classes and moving closer to investment decision makers, all in a sustainable and agile approach as we adapt in a fast-paced environment.

Rhian: With our cross functional representation here in Amsterdam (and across Europe as a whole), I look forward to being able to see how each contributes to our next phase of growth here at MarketAxess. I’m excited about various new initiatives across the business and seeing the increased use of automation and new technology to introduce change and benefits for both trading and post-trade, because the bonus of being in Legal is that we get to see and be involved in them all!

Fred: Seeing how much the team has grown in just the past three years and the importance of Amsterdam as a location for the EU MTF, MANL, what excites me most is how we’re going to fit everyone in the office if we keep growing like this! More generally, we will continue to close the client gaps we still have, continue to grow and hopefully do it with the same and new colleagues bringing the same ‘fire in the belly’, so we grow hard and fast and do so while laughing and having fun.

Georgy: Our business strategy for European development is clear and it's gratifying to see how seamlessly it is coordinated having the EU HQ in the Netherlands. With several EU branches established, we are well-positioned to support our clients locally. Being close to our clients allows for a more personalized and effective approach, contributing to a positive and successful working environment. And I am sure my colleagues would agree with me.

Kirsty: As a company, I am excited about the work we are doing around emerging markets and I believe we will be creating a bigger image globally. Personally, I look forward to developing certain aspects of the post-trade system and helping make the customer area flow better – just learning more and getting more into client calls and scoping other impactful projects on the side.

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