New Position Brings Function In-House
CHICAGO, June 11, 2019 – Chicago-based R.J. O’Brien & Associates (RJO), the oldest and largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, announced today the appointment of William Harrington to the new post of Managing Director, Global Head of Internal Audit. Harrington has more than 25 years of experience providing audit and consulting services to financial services companies, including the past several years spearheading the outsourced internal audit function for RJO at FGMK, LLC.
In the new role, Harrington will oversee RJO’s internal audit activities on a global basis. To maintain the independence of the function, he will report to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, with administrative reporting to Brad Giemza, Chief Risk Officer. A member of the company’s senior management team, Harrington will also serve on the firm’s corporate risk committee.
RJO Chairman and CEO Gerald Corcoran said: “We’ve gotten to know Bill very well over the past few years, and his guidance on internal audit matters has been on target. We have been planning to bring the function in-house and recognized Bill was the ideal candidate to lead the effort. As the futures industry continues to evolve, and we maintain our global growth trajectory, a dedicated internal audit capability is more important than ever.”
Harrington said: “I’m excited to bring the internal audit function in-house for RJO, after working closely with senior management and the Board in my external role. This is a terrific company that places a high priority on doing business the right way and placing clients first. I look forward to building on the function internally and ensuring we continue to follow best practices.”
Prior to joining RJO, Harrington served for four years as a Partner in the Risk & Controls practice of FGMK in Chicago. Previously he spent more than 20 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a Partner in its Risk Assurance practice. In that role, he provided both internal and external audit services to the firm’s financial services clients across the central region of the United States.
A Board member of the Risk Management Association of Chicago, Harrington is also a member of ISACA (formerly known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association), where he previously served as President of the Chicago Chapter Board of Directors.
Harrington earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, where he serves on two advisory boards in the Mendoza College of Business. He resides in Orland Park with his wife and three children.
About R.J. O’Brien & Associates
Founded in 1914, R.J. O’Brien & Associates is the largest independent futures brokerage and clearing firm in the United States, serving more than 80,000 institutional, commercial and individual clients globally, in addition to a network of approximately 400 introducing brokers (IBs). RJO services the industry’s most expansive global network of IBs, a vast array of middle market firms and many of the world’s largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions. The firm offers state-of-the-art electronic trading and 24-hour trade execution on every major futures exchange worldwide. RJO has received the FOW International Award for “Non-Bank FCM of the Year” for the past three years. Wealth and Finance International Magazine named the company’s private client division, RJO Futures, “2018’s Most Trusted Financial Brokerage Firm.” At its 2019 U.S. Services Awards, CTA Intelligence named RJO the “Best Independent FCM” – the seventh honor bestowed by the magazine on RJO and its UK affiliate. R.J. O’Brien was also the top-ranked broker in Oil Options and Structured Products in Europe in the 2019 Energy Risk Commodities Rankings.
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