Rolfe & Nolan announced today the appointment of John Hamer as its new Chairman.

Mr. Hamer is also Chairman of royalblue, the leading front office trading solutions vendor for the US, European and Asian equity markets. He has worked for royalblue since 1983, becoming chief executive in 1991 and being instrumental in achieving their flotation in 1997. During his tenure royalblue revenues have risen from £2m to £60m.

“Coming from a similar market sector John has exactly the portfolio of skills that Rolfe & Nolan needs. During his successful career at royalblue he has been deeply involved with the challenges and opportunities that vendor companies in the financial sector experience. We look forward to his insight and guidance”, said Bob Freeman, chief executive.

He added: “With the MBO achieved, Rolfe & Nolan is positioning itself to move forward – a strategy neatly encapsulated in our `Next Generation` strapline. In product terms we are also moving into the next generation, with the launch and further development of Merlin, our modular processing solution and its expansion into asset classes beyond futures and options.”

Nic Humphries, a director of HgCapital and Board director of Rolfe & Nolan said: "We have known John for several years and introduced him to Rolfe & Nolan soon after completing the MBO. He created a very substantial increase in shareholder value at royalblue. We are delighted that he has agreed to join the Board with a view to achieving further value for the stakeholders of Rolfe & Nolan."

John Hamer commented: “I am extremely pleased to be joining Rolfe & Nolan at this pivotal time. Rolfe & Nolan has a similar business ethos to royalblue, and I look forward to contributing to its further development during a time of unprecedented change and opportunity in the derivatives markets”