Executive Moves of the Week: Leadership Shifts at Upvest, BNP Paribas, Robinhood, FlexTrade and Deutsche Bank

The below are selected highlights of last week's executive transitions, including significant leadership shifts across the banking, trading, and FinTech sectors.

Infrastructure Provider - Upvest Hires Former Starling Bank Executive

Upvest, a Berlin-based investment infrastructure provider, has appointed Symmie Swil, formerly of Starling Bank, as its UK General Manager to spearhead its growth strategy in the region.

Upvest, which processes over 2 million investment orders weekly across 20 markets, aims to secure partnerships with three UK clients by the end of the year. The company provides an Investment API that enables financial institutions to offer investment products, including ETFs, stocks, and mutual funds.

Bank - BNP Paribas Appoints Marc Camus as New Chief Information Officer

BNP Paribas has announced the appointment of Marc Camus as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), effective April 1, 2025. Mr. Camus, who previously held the position of CIO at BNP Paribas Fortis, will succeed Bernard Gavgani in this role. He will also become a member of the BNP Paribas Executive Committee and will report to Philippe Maillard, the Chief Operating Officer of BNP Paribas.

In his new capacity, Mr. Camus will be responsible for the continued deployment and strengthening of BNP Paribas' IT strategy across the Group, aiming to benefit both the bank's clients and its various entities. His key responsibilities will include overseeing IT system security, driving improvements in operational efficiency throughout the Group, and further enhancing customer experience through the implementation of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing, in close collaboration with the bank's business lines and IT teams.

Broker - Robinhood Appoints Meta's Chief Revenue Officer to Board of Directors

Robinhood Markets has announced the addition of John Hegeman to its Board of Directors. Hegeman currently holds the position of Chief Revenue Officer at Meta, where he oversees the company's global monetization strategy.

Vlad Tenev, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Robinhood, commented on the appointment, stating, "John has strong experience driving innovation and growth across platforms and brings valuable perspectives as we expand our platform for millions of users."

Solutions Provider - FlexTrade Appoints Nick Keihner as Vice President of Sales

FlexTrade Systems, a global provider of multi-asset execution and order management solutions, has announced the appointment of Nick Keihner as its new Vice President of Sales. Keihner brings over seven years of experience from Abel Noser, a transaction cost analysis (TCA) and trade surveillance firm under Trading Technologies, along with prior roles at AMG Funds, Neuberger Berman, and other prominent financial institutions.

In a statement, Keihner highlighted his enthusiasm for FlexTrade's technology: "What excites me most is the breadth and depth of solutions available to the buy-side, from FlexTRADER EMS to FlexONE and FlexTCA. Integrating these tools into a single platform delivers speed, transparency, and adaptability - critical advantages in today's markets."

Bank - Deutsche Bank Announces CFO Succession and Management Board Changes​

Deutsche Bank has revealed a series of changes to its management structure as it looks towards the next phase of its growth strategy. A key development is the appointment of Raja Akram as the designated Chief Financial Officer (CFO), who will succeed James von Moltke. Von Moltke, who has served as CFO for eight years and also holds the title of President, will not seek another term when his contract expires in June 2026. He will continue in his current roles until the transition is complete.

Akram will join Deutsche Bank on October 1, 2025, become a member of the Management Board on January 1, 2026, and will officially assume the CFO responsibilities after a transition period. He joins from Morgan Stanley, where he has been Deputy Chief Financial Officer since 2020. Prior to that, Akram held various leadership positions in finance at Citigroup for 14 years. He will be based in Frankfurt.