James Montlake

I have experience in designing, trading and promoting financial products. I have built trading strategies that generated USD millions in profits for investors and raised capital from HNWIs and Institutions.

Portfolio Manager - Advanced Alpha Advisers, LLC.

(2022-10)

• Responsible for the ART Strategy. A systematic, short-term futures and options trading strategy covering equities, FX, rates and commodities. I oversee the research and development team as well as the technical implementation of the strategy.
• I am primarily responsible for promoting the strategy and securing allocations from Qualified Eligible Persons both in the United States and overseas. I drive distribution efforts by participating in industry events, cold prospecting, generating marketing materials and thought leadership pieces and presenting the strategy to potential investors.
• I was able to secure 6 new allocators for a brand new product including Institutional and HNWI investors and I manage the relationships with several others.

Head of Distribution - Quant Infinity Solutions Ltd

(2021-01 - 2022-10)

• Responsible for promoting the company's products and attracting international clients. I developed and launched our marketing strategy with online advertising and direct email campaigns. I attended conferences and other events and built a network of potential investors.
• I helped raise over $50m of traditional and first loss capital allocations for our products.
• I led the launch of a new trading vehicle and expanded our reach into the United States by negotiating a collaboration with a local asset management firm.

Founder, Managing Director - TeaSwap Limited

(2017-07 - 2022-12)

• Launched a live Tea Swap market as a mechanism for clients to mitigate tea auction price risk. Signed up over 40 clients in Sri Lanka and Kenya (industrials, financial institutions and HNWIs). I designed, negotiated and brokered each swap and managed the risk and cash flow.
• Awarded one-year DFID funding (£100k) to explore the impact of price hedging on smallholder tea farmers in Kenya. I ran the project on the ground working with farmer associations, tea brokers and factories to develop a live study into the effects of price stability.

Senior Business Development Analyst - Intercontinental Exchange Inc.

(2014-01 - 2017-06)

• Responsible for bringing in new business by winning tenders and launching new products.
• Led successful tenders for ISDAFix, the LBMA Gold Auction, ISDA SIMM and the ISDA Determinations Committee.
• I was a member of the LIBOR surveillance, governance and evolution team.
• Responsible for developing and growing participation in the LBMA Gold Auction (adding 10 new banks, brokers and hedge funds to the auction bringing the total to 14 – inc. UBS, JPMorgan, Bank of China, Marex, Jane Street, etc.).
• Instrumental in the design and implementation of a Central Counterparty Clearing solution for the Gold Auction and launching a Gold Futures product.
• Took a lead role in the development of a Tea index to be used as a means of reducing price risk in the Tea industry.

Analyst - NYSE Euronext

(2012-09 - 2013-12)

• Entered via the Graduate Scheme and rotated through Sales, Technology Partnerships, Listings, FICC and Equity Derivatives.
• Was offered a permanent role within Equity Derivatives.
• My responsibilities included relationship management with our OTC platform customers (mainly banks and Interdealer Brokers) and technical development such as building databases and creating performance metrics.

Business Development - Use the Sun

(2010-09 - 2012-08)

• Responsibilities included overseeing sourcing and installation of Solar PV systems as well as developing new business opportunities.

Intern - Standard Chartered Bank

(2007-06 - 2008-08)

Global Markets Internship, rotating through Commodities, Interest Rate Derivatives, Alternative Asset Management and ALM desks.

• Responsibilities included research, analysis and trading support.
• Took a lead role in the coordination and testing of front office deal-booking systems to be compliant with new FSA guidelines.

MA - Finance and Investment - University of Nottingham, China (2009 - 2010)

BSc - Economics (Hons) - University of Nottingham (2006 - 2009)