Merrill Lynch’s Lehrman Named Head of Global Credit Trading Technology

Given the volatility in the credit markets as of late, Ira Lehrman jokes that assuming his new position as global head of credit trading technology at Merrill Lynch will be like "getting into the cockpit of a plane while in flight."

Lehrman, who previously was head of global investment banking and client technology at the firm, adds that he will work to keep Merrill ahead of the markets by creating a "globally flexible, scalable and integrated suite of applications and trading tools to handle future growth and product structures -- permitting multi-asset-class trading, consolidation of cross-product risk, P&L and other data across our various credit business lines."

"I will be responsible for both the day-to-day technology needs as well as driving the technology strategy and implementation within credit trading," Lehrman continues. "With our increased investments in the technology platforms in these areas, we will provide greater focus [by] working closely with the various business groups and diverse technology teams."

Lehrman will report to Adrian Pearce, head of the fixed income, currencies and commodities & liquidity and risk technology organization. Prior to joining Merrill, Lehrman had tenures at Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust.