Chicago-based RJ O'Brien & Associates (RJO) has appointed veteran institutional grains broker Richard Mayhew as Senior Vice President, Head of Grains & Oilseeds, EMEA.
With more than 35 years of experience in grains in both the physical and futures markets, Mayhew will build a team focused on all aspects of futures related to grains and serve commercial clients throughout the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
David Mudie, Chief Executive Officer of RJO UK, says: "This is a strategic hire for RJO UK, enabling us to build on RJO's unparalleled institutional grain business in North America with our first dedicated initiative in grains out of Europe. Richard's stellar experience, breadth of knowledge in every facet of the grains business and fantastic reputation make him an ideal leader for this effort."
Mayhew's former colleague Hui Zhao is also part of the new RJO team, having just joined as Vice President, Commodity Broker.
Mayhew says: "I have known RJ O'Brien for my entire career and have only had a positive impression of the firm. I am thrilled to be part of this independent and highly respected company, with its strong focus on service, risk management and insights that benefit its clients. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to team up with the firm's seasoned professionals in Chicago and build out the global offering in the EMEA region, which has tremendous untapped potential. We intend to offer a complete service to our clients across everything related to grains and oilseeds, including freight, energy and foreign exchange components."
