Jump to content

Raj Fernando

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2602:306:3357:ba0:d04e:a07c:ae65:ed36 (talk) at 22:02, 27 June 2016 (rv persistant vandalism). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Raj Fernando
Born
Raj Fernando[1][2][3]

July 1971 (age 53)
Alma materBeloit College

Raj Fernando (born July 8, 1971) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Scoutahead.com and the former CEO of Chopper Trading.

Early life and education

Fernando was born to CK and Laura Fernando while the two were living in Denmark,[4] after CK completed a Fulbright Scholarship at New York University and Laura completed her studies in classical piano at the Juilliard School.[4][5] He was born the youngest of three children after his two sisters, Netasha and Tanya, moving to the United States before the age of one.[4][5]

Fernando attended Beloit College, where he earned bachelor's degrees in economics and history.[4][6] He also studied at the University College London.[7]

Career

From 1991 to 2001, Fernando worked in trading positions at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.[6][8][9]

In 2002, Fernando founded Chopper Trading, a Chicago-based proprietary trading firm that concentrated in the areas of fixed income, equities, and other products.[10] The company has been regarded for their investments in technology, hiring highly qualified programmers, and for low employee turnover.[10][11] Under Fernando’s leadership, Chopper Trading had a presence on major U.S. exchanges including the CME, CBOT, NYSE, and internationally on the LSE, ICE, and Eurex.[8] As CEO, Fernando grew the company to over 200 employees, with offices in Chicago, New York, London, Munich, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.[8][12]

In 2011, Fernando was offered a spot on the State Department's International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) despite having no experience for the role, according to an ABC News investigation. According to the State Department, the ISAB is to reflect a balance of backgrounds, points of view, and demographic diversity and shall include a wide variety of scientific, military, diplomatic, and political backgrounds.[13] Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, played a key role in appointing Fernando, who donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation.[14] Chief of staff for the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Wade Boese insisted that Fernando's appointment had only come at the request of Mills.[14] Emails released by the State Department show that ISAB executive director Richard Hartman referred to Fernando as an expert in "cyber security," and that Fernando has experience in the private sector implementing sophisticated risk management systems, information technology and international financial markets.[14] ISAB’s work includes financial security, and retired Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, ISAB member and CEO of American Security Project, said Fernando’s "expertise in cyber-security is a great asset to our national security."[15] Fernando resigned after two days of media scrutiny.[16]

Fernando has also joined the board of directors for the American Security Project, the Foreign Policy Leadership Committee at the Brookings Institution and became a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.[4][6][14]

In January 2015, Fernando sold Chopper Trading to DRW Trading Group, another Chicago-based proprietary trading firm.[17][18]

In 2016, Fernando launched Scoutahead.com, an Internet start-up. Fernando currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of Scoutahead.com.[19][20]

Philanthropy

Fernando serves on the board of directors for PAWS Chicago, a no-kill animal shelter,[21] and the board of trustees for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.[6] He has supported the Clinton Foundation, Wounded Warriors, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago.[22][23] Fernando has also been a contributor to The Steppenwolf Theatre, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and the Illinois Holocaust Museum, among other organizations.[24]

References

  1. ^ Begley, Sarah. "New Emails Shed Light on How Clinton Donor Was on Intel Panel". Time magazine. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Chicagoans on the White House State Dinner Guest List". Chicago. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Indian-Americans in full strength at White House". The Hindu. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via The Hindu.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bates, Brooke. "Why Raj Fernando recruits only "A" players for Chopper Trading". Smart Business Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Laura Fernando". Legacy.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "Clinton Raises $450,000 at Fundraiser by Raj Fernando". India West. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Raj Fernando". choppertrading.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Company Overview of Chopper Trading LLC". Bloomberg. Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Raj Fernando". American Security Project. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  10. ^ a b Review, HFT. "An Interview with Raj Fernando and Leslie Sutphen". The Trading Mesh. The Trading Mesh. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  11. ^ Peterson, Kristina. "Battle for Tech Geeks: Street vs. Silicon Valley". Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  12. ^ Leising, Matthew. "DRW Acquires HFT Firm Chopper, Joining Chicago-Based Traders". Bloomberg. Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  13. ^ "International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) Charter". www.state.gov. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  14. ^ a b c d "How Clinton Donor Got on Sensitive Intelligence Board". ABC News. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Conservative Media Run With Faulty ABC Report To Allege Hillary Clinton "Sold A Seat" On An Intelligence Advisory Board". Media Matters for America. 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  16. ^ Mosk, Matthew (6/10/2016). "How Clinton Donor Got on Sensitive Intelligence Board". Retrieved 6/23/2016. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)
  17. ^ Meyer, Gregory. "Casualties Mount in High-Speed Trading Arms Race". Financial Times. Financial Times. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  18. ^ Caruthers, Renee. "HFT Prop Trading Firm DRW Acquires Smaller Rival Chopper". Fierce Financial IT. Fierce Finance IT. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  19. ^ Sweet, Lynn. "Hillary Clinton in Chicago today for rally, fundraisers". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  20. ^ "About Raj Fernando". Raj Fernando. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  21. ^ Kapos, Shia. "Shelters get along like cats and dogs". Chicago Business. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  22. ^ "Contributor and Grantor Information". Clintonfoundation.org. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  23. ^ Bertagnoli, Lisa. "At Chopper Trading, philanthropy is guided by the heart as well as the head". Chicago Business. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  24. ^ Kapos, Shia. "Guess who's hosting the next Chicago fundraiser for Hillary Clinton". chicagobusiness.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raj_Fernando&oldid=727276230"