Exclusive: Axi management owners revealed
FNG Exclusive… Further to our exclusive report last month that management of Australia based Retail FX and CFDs broker Axi had bought control of the company from private investment firm RGT Capital in a management buyout (or “MBO”), FNG has learned the identities of the Axi management team members who participated in the buyout, and are now joint part-owners of Axi.
Structurally, the new “holdco” that was established to effect the Axi buyout is 100% owned by CEO Rajesh Yohannan. However ultimate ownership is divided between Mr. Yohannan, and several of his key management team members, spread across Axi’s offices in Sydney, Singapore, and London.
The executives who participated in the Axi MBO include:
Rajesh Yohannan – CEO, as noted above. Mr. Yohannan, who is based in Axi’s Sydney global headquarters, joined the company in 2016 after serving as CEO of OANDA Asia Pacific. He had also previously worked at Citi, where he was Managing Director, eBusiness.
Louis Cooper – Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Cooper, based in Sydney, also joined Axi from OANDA soon after Rajesh Yohannan was hired as CEO. He also previously served as Managing Director – Australia and New Zealand for UK based broker CMC Markets.
Gavin Ward – Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Ward is based in Singapore. He is also an OANDA alum, serving as Head of Greater China for OANDA from 2013-2016. He has also worked for CMC Markets in Singapore, and for Allianz in London.
Himanshu Kher – CFO. Mr. Kher is based in London, joining Axi in 2020 after serving as Group Treasurer at LMAX. He also served as Group Treasurer at IG from 2015-2018.
Simon Hodgkiss – Chief Risk Officer. Mr. Hodgkiss, based in Sydney, has been Axi’s CRO since 2018, and was previously CFO from 2013-2018. He worked at IG in both London and Australia from 2000-2013 in a variety of finance related roles.
Paul Kiff – Global Head of Trading. Mr. Kiff, based in Singapore, joined Axi in 2017 from GKFX where he had a similar role. He has also previously worked at Alpari UK, Man Financial, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch.
