Team

Opetek founder. Varqa has a career spanning several senior Derivative Trading, Quant, and Product Development roles at investment banks, including HSBC and Morgan Stanley. Most recently, he served as Chief Product Officer at Quantile, joining when it was a start-up and contributing to the company's £274 million acquisition by the London Stock Exchange.

Varqa also has a foundation in scientific research, having previously worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Quantum Mechanics. The blend of technical expertise and business acumen has enabled him to launch a number of award-winning products.  He holds an MMath in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of York.

Phil is an accomplished engineering and finance professional with 25 years of experience working in a broad set of senior roles in Architecture, Quant Development, DevOps and Consultancy. He has worked at investment banks including RBS, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley, as well as Fintechs including as the Head of Architecture at Quantile.

Phil has extensive experience in designing and building complex financial software systems at scale.   He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, holds an MSc in Engineering from University College London, BEng in Engineering from University of Nottingham, and is Chartered as both an Engineer and IT Professional.

Henry is a software expert with a career spanning 7 years of postdoctoral research, and more than a decade working in Machine Learning, Data Science, and Engineering roles. He has worked for successful Fintechs such BMLL and Quantile, and at Asset Managers such as Schroders.

He holds an MEng in Engineering and PhD in Artificial Neural Networks from Imperial College London.

Paddy Boyle has a distinguished career in financial markets. He spent 16 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a Partner and Global Head of FX Options Trading, as well as setting up the FX CVA Desk. He also served as CEO of ForexClear at LCH for 5 years, where he played a key role in increasing volumes by 15 times.

In addition to his executive positions, Paddy has been an influential figure on industry boards, including GFMA and FX Global Clear, and served on the Bank of England Joint Standing Committee on FX. He holds an MMath in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge.

Christine Moran has a distinguished 25-year career in finance and regulation. She is currently the Head of Compliance at Amundi (UK) Ltd, and previously served as a Board Director at State Street Europe. Christine has a deep understanding of regulation and a proven track record of driving transformation, leveraging technology to restructure operating models within the financial services sector. In addition to her leadership roles, she is an advisor to AlphaLoops, an AI firm advancing asset management. Christine’s expertise and dynamic approach have earned her Board positions for FCA-regulated firms.

Ian Hunt is a distinguished veteran of financial markets with over 35 years of experience. Throughout his career, he has held a series of influential roles in both fintechs and global broking, where he built and maintained an extensive network spanning the buy side and sell side. Ian’s expertise includes growing and scaling startups by playing pivotal roles in building client networks and driving growth. Notably, he served as Global Head of Sales and was a member of the Executive Committee at both Quantile and TriOptima, where he was also an equity holder. His contributions were instrumental in their successful acquisitions by the London Stock Exchange and ICAP, respectively.

Paul brings over 30 years of experience in founding and leading high-growth technology companies, with a strong record of driving innovation and expansion. Currently, he serves as an Operating Advisor at Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm. Previously, Paul was the Founder and CEO of Condeco, where he successfully expanded operations across four continents, led three strategic acquisitions, and grew revenues from startup to $100 million. This success ultimately led to Condeco’s acquisition by Thoma Bravo.

In addition to Condeco, Paul co-founded RNM Systems, a consultancy specializing in outsourced software development for global corporations, as well as FX Player. He began his career in the electronic security industry, co-founding Masco Security and establishing it as one of the UK’s leading providers. Paul’s career reflects a commitment to innovation and growth across diverse sectors, with expertise in scaling operations, strategic acquisition, and international market entry.