Leadership & Experience | The Trading Pit Management (2024)

Christoph Radecker is a veteran trader who has worked in international trading firms in both the US and Germany before founding his own companies, including The Trading Pit.

Christoph began trading at the age of 18 and continued to do so throughout his higher education. Seeing a means by which to create a future for himself, Christoph dedicated himself to learning the intricacies of the trading markets.

Upon graduating, Christoph moved to the US, where he worked for leading trading firms. Joining the industry in a support role before moving into brokerage sales and heading up the German market team for one of America’s most innovative firms.

Fascinated by the technologies he saw in use, Christoph was determined to bring these advances to Europe. Christoph saw that the key to success in a trading platform was the quality of the data it used and how that data could be used by the trader.

In 2010, he founded Christoph Consulting and FuturesDE. The companies offer consulting services, trading solutions and trading software to the EU markets and seek to provide the user with industry-leading access to and analysis of data, along with a cutting-edge UI and trading environment.

Throughout his time in the industry, Christoph had become disillusioned with the high rate of failure among new traders and the difficulties that many had in entering the industry. As a result, in 2022, he founded The Trading Pit. The Trading Pit was created with the objective of supporting newcomers and veteran traders alike.

Illimar Mattus has worked in the investment banking and brokerage industry for more than 20 years. At The Trading Pit, Illimar provides strategic advice on a wide range of topics and helps the company grow its global footprint through partnerships with major regional brokerage firms. Illimar is also one of the key investors in The Trading Pit through its family office Pinorena Capital.

Illimar is the co-founder of a global brokerage firm Tickmill which serves sophisticated algorithmic traders in more than 150 countries who trade all major asset classes including FX, stocks, digital assets, futures and options.

Originally, Illimar started trading on the financial markets in 1997 using his student loan to fund his first stock trading account. Over the years, he specialized in trading futures and futures options with such firms as Interactive Brokers, ADM, R.J. O'Brien and others.

Illimar started his professional career working for SEAF, a US-based venture capital fund management company where he oversaw investments into various biotechnology, internet, media and manufacturing companies.

Illimar is well-known in the international brokerage and asset management industry. He serves as a board member on various investment and asset management firms regulated, among others, by the FCA in the United Kingdom, CySEC in Cyprus, FSA in Malaysia, and others.

Illimar is the co-Founder of The Trading Pit as he believes that every person interested in financial markets should have a fair opportunity to become a successful trader and an asset manager. He believes that the risk platform, technology, knowledge and opportunities The Trading Pit provides to its clients will make it a global leader in the prop trading industry.

Thomas Heyden studied finance, insurance and capital market theory at Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University and graduated successfully. He is a certified financial analyst (CEFA) and has worked for German banks and international investment houses. Thomas has launched and managed several investment funds for his own regulated company. His clients included institutional investors and HNWIs. In 2009, he received the German Fund Award for his investment fund.

In addition to his work as a fund manager and trader, he was responsible for hedging commodity price risks for major German companies and one of the largest public transport companies in Europe.

He is a sought-after speaker on commodity price and foreign exchange risks for medium-sized businesses in Germany.

Thomas is involved in The Trading Pit and is responsible for the development of TTP in Liechtenstein. Here he brings his experience in financial engineering, asset management and business development.

His hobbies include mountain hiking, mountain biking, skiing and literature.

Daniela Egli has worked in the Financial Services Sector for over fifteen years, with numerous senior roles in business development, executive management, compliance, and organizing significant mergers and acquisitions across Asia and Europe. Daniela's extensive experience makes her highly skilled, adaptable, and agile in her line of work. In addition, she has many certifications, including CySEC Advanced and AML, risk management from CISI, and Level 1 CFA.

Throughout her career, her contribution to leading firms has been invaluable, pushing their global expansions towards advancement, ensuring transparency, and evolving the needs of their clients.

Before joining The Trading Pit, she worked as a CEO and group COO for the leading Scandinavian broker, Skilling, where she reported directly to their chief executive, providing her foresight on their operations to navigate most beneficially for their clients. Before her role at Skilling, she was also a Managing director at FXview, helping to launch the business in Cyprus and expand the group's services in other regions. In addition, she was a director and compliance officer for Blackwell Global, leading the company for six years.

Daniela's leading approach and involvement in The Trading Pit is highly beneficial, as she is responsible for advancing the operations of the Cyprus headquarters. Her insight ensures the firm's mission of providing its traders and partners with a high level of support.

Dr. Artem Lomakin has over 20 years of experience as CTO of B2B-Center and played a crucial role in evolving it from a disruptive startup to a multi-product e-commerce platform with 600K clients worldwide and a $80B yearly trading volume. He built and managed a team of 120+ IT professionals, fostering a culture focused on continuous improvement and innovation. Artem, with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, possesses expertise in developing and operating high-load/high-availability SaaS applications, and excels in scaling teams and processes for rapid growth.

As the Chief Innovation Officer at The Trading Pit, Artem drives the company's growth by leading all research and development initiatives, implementing a data-driven approach to product management and decision-making, leveraging innovative technology solutions, such as machine learning and AI. These efforts enhance business processes and improve the operational efficiency of R&D, customer support, risk management, and marketing, providing a streamlined customer experience to clients of The Trading Pit. Concurrently, he is shaping and executing an innovation and technology strategy that aligns with long-term strategic goals, positioning The Trading Pit as a leading global prop trading entity with a vision for expansion into investments and asset management.

Mr Christou has extensive experience delivering long-term brand growth within the fintech industry. He helped develop several prominent companies, notably Tickmill, Obrex and M4Markets. Specialised in building clean, reputable brands from the ground up with expertise in marketing and development for start-ups and new-born brands. With over 12 years of experience in managerial positions, he is well-versed in building quality brands and magnifying brand equity in the fintech and forex industries.

With a background in Music Studies, his marketing and business development approaches come with a genuinely creative vision. A Master’s in Marketing from the City University of London and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) allowed him to grow his career and learn while working at high-calibre companies such as the London Barbican Centre and London City Hall, working for the Mayor of London.

His ambition for The Trading Pit is to make it the world's most trusted proprietary trading firm. He envisions a place where traders evolve from beginners to seasoned experts, and he aims to elevate the TTP brand to global prominence in the prop trading arena.

Hakam Thalji is a seasoned expert in foreign exchange and global markets with over 20 years of experience. As the Head of Dealing, he has a strong track record of successfully navigating the financial markets and leading teams to success.

Starting his career two decades ago, Hakam quickly proved himself as a dedicated and effective professional. He has held important roles in different organisations, helping them grow and succeed. His 15 years of hands-on experience in operations have given him deep insights into trading and how to manage it well.

His career is filled with significant achievements. He has consistently beaten performance goals, put in place strong risk management strategies, and led his teams to achieve great results. These successes have built his reputation as a reliable and capable leader.

Hakam believes in leading by creating a team-focused and innovative work environment. He focuses on empowering his team, encouraging them to keep learning, and staying flexible to meet the demands of changing markets. His skills in planning and communication have been key in forming teams that consistently do better than expected. Hakam Thalji's career highlights his skill and leadership in the finance industry.

Andreas Pilavakis holds the position of the Head of Customer Support at The Trading Pit. His experience in customer service, with a passion for creating a world-class customer experience, has allowed himtoprogress from a customer service representative to a senior leadership role.

As the Head of Customer Support, Andrea’s primary objective is to ensure consistency in customer support standards across the organisation. He leads and directs the entire customer support department, establishing and overseeing the adoption of the department's vision, goals, and objectives at all levels. Andreas is responsible for providing leadership, mentorship, and direction to the support team, developing and implementing efficient strategies to ensure customer satisfaction.

Andreas is a strategic thinker crucial in formulating the customer support department's strategy. He continually monitors the department's performance, conducting research and analysing customer feedback to ensure the department's performance meets or exceeds customer loyalty targets.

Andreas is also responsible for managing both internal and external relationships on behalf of the customer support department. Hedirectly interacts with customers and stakeholders, negotiating with consumers to collect feedback on customer support efforts and influencing senior customer support management and stakeholders on proposed approaches and strategies for the department.

Alberto Constantinou is the Head of Client Operations at The Trading Pit, where he plays a pivotal role in ensuring smooth onboarding processes for clients and affiliates. With over 12 years of experience in Operations, Alberto brings a wealth of expertise to the team.

In his current role, Alberto's primary responsibilities include:

• Overseeing client and affiliate registrations.

• Ensuring all necessary information is communicated promptly to other departments for efficient task execution.

• Fostering a friendly user experience for both customers and employees.

Before his current position, Alberto was the Head of the Back Office, managing client funding, onboarding, and customer support operations. His dedication to transparency, understanding, and effective communication has been instrumental in driving operational excellence and client satisfaction.

Outside of work, Alberto is passionate about Formula One, drawing parallels between the teamwork and collaboration seen in the sport and applying those principles to his career. He believes in the power of transparency, understanding, and communication to foster strong relationships and achieve remarkable results in both professional and personal endeavours.

Georgia Aristeidou, who is leading all the Group HR Activities and Strategy,has worked in Project Management and Fintech industry for over 14 years. She has substantial experience in strategic human resource planning, performance management, managing multicultural teams, staffing, employment contract negotiations, employee benefitsand wellbeing, compensation and payroll, planned HR budgets,provision of HR reports and data, training and development, and management coaching.

She started her career by managing various projects in one of the leading institutions in the Euro – Mediterranean region for research, sustainable development, social justice and technology-empowered solutions. Part of her duties was the development of indicators, best HR practices and methods,promoting equality and diversity and advising on how to liaisewith a wide range of people involved in policy areas such as staff performance and education and development.

She has also worked in the Fintech Industry (Forex and SaaS),whereshe has overseen efforts that have resulted in more effective and streamlined companywide talent acquisition practices that better utilise technology, a companywide diversity and inclusion strategy, solid onboarding programs, providing information about policies, working conditions and covering all HR related projects and areas.

As Head of HR at The Trading Pit, she has changed the function, culture, and impact of HR across the Company to support its business goals and strategies and the needs and aspirations of its employees worldwide.

Elena Savvides is an accomplished Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) and member of ICPAC, possessing a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance. Elena has worked as a professional Accountant for over 16 years, including 8 years in the audit field with a Big Four firm and 8 years in the industry holding different Managerial positions such as Financial Controller, Chief Accountant and Finance Manager. In addition, Elena was an ACCA and CAT lecturer for five years,lecturing papers related to Accounting, Audit, and Taxation.

She is self-motivated, progress-driven and possesses an extensive background in setting up start-ups. With a focus on budgeting and cash flow analysis, Elena has developed and executed strategies that have brought significant value to various organisations.

At The Trading Pit, Elena leverages her strong background in finance to deliver exceptional results. She has excellent communication and managerial skills, making her an asset in team efforts and organisational improvements. In addition, Elena is a collaborative decision-maker with an open-minded approach to problem-solving. With her exceptional skill set, Elena is poised to make a significant contribution to the success of The Trading Pit Limited.