BLOCKalert Hires Christine Sandler To Head Up Sales for Block Crossing Service

BLOCKalert, a joint venture between Merrill Lynch and Investment Technology Group, tapped Christine Sandler to head sales for the global block trading indications system. Sandler will be charged with making sure "we continue to add new customers and that we continue to increase our volume," according to BLOCKalert CEO Steven Sorice. She also will coordinate sales efforts with Merrill's and ITG's sales forces, which also market the electronic product.

Sandler joins the joint venture from Merrill Lynch, where she was a managing director in the broker's global electronic trading sales team. Previously, she was head of sales at Wave Securities, an institutional broker, and also served as east coast sales manager at Archipelago.

Sandler says she will draw upon her experience in her new role. "Participating in a small start-up ... [is] something that will potentially shape BLOCKalert," says Sandler of her experience at Archipelago, the former ECN now owned by NYSE Group. And understanding the products and services a bulge-bracket firm such as Merrill offers its clients and how they look to pay their research bills will be valuable as well, Sandler notes.

Her new challenge, Sandler suggests, will be successfully marketing and branding the BLOCKalert product as an independent entity. "We're not an ITG-only product, and that independence is very important to us and our partners," she stresses.

Ivy is Editor-at-Large for Advanced Trading and Wall Street & Technology. Ivy is responsible for writing in-depth feature articles, daily blogs and news articles with a focus on automated trading in the capital markets. As an industry expert, Ivy has reported on a myriad ... View Full Bio