FIA joins the industry in mourning the passing of Patrick Birley, who died last week at the age of 58. Patrick had a long and successful career in the derivatives industry, having joined the South African Future Exchange as its second employee and quickly being promoted to chief executive while he was only 24. He helped steer the fledgling exchange to electronic trading during the 1990s, leaving Safex when it was acquired by Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 2001. Having relocated to his native UK, Patrick then had various roles including director of strategy at London Metal Exchange, CEO of LCH.Clearnet, CEO of European Climate Exchange and, most recently, as head of NEX Exchange. Since his departure from NEX Exchange in 2019, Patrick dedicated himself to causes close to his heart, including as a volunteer for the Samaritans and investing in environmental causes. At the time of his death, he was in the process of setting up a charity for young people with mental health problems in the West of England, where he had made his home after leaving the City. We pass on our condolences to his family, including his three daughters, and his friends.
