Catherine Flax Joins BNP Paribas as Head of Commodity Derivatives, Americas


NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Nov 18, 2013) - BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking is pleased to announce that Catherine Flax has joined the bank as Managing Director, Head of Commodity Derivatives, Americas.

Catherine's experience in commodities trading and marketing will be instrumental to further develop BNP Paribas' client-focused Commodity Derivatives franchise in North America. She will report locally to Edward Speal, Head of Global Equities and Commodity Derivatives, Americas and globally to Amine Bel Hadj Soulami, Global Head of Commodity Derivatives.

"This is a significant appointment for BNP Paribas," commented Speal. "Catherine's arrival underscores both our commitment to serving clients in the commodity derivatives space and our desire to position our platform for success as the commodities industry continues to evolve," he added.

Catherine joins BNP Paribas from J.P. Morgan where she has spent the last 8 years in a number of high-level management positions. She has won high accolades from the industry and has been recognized as one of the most influential women in the financial world both in the US and in Europe.

"Catherine brings a vast depth of experience in global commodity markets," commented Bel Hadj Soulami. "We look forward to leveraging on her exemplary track record to further build our offer in the Americas to support our successful Commodity Derivatives franchise," he concluded.

Catherine joins a global Commodity Derivatives division of over 200 dedicated front office professionals based across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas serving a diverse client base of over 3,000 covering the entire commodity value chain. The global platform operates three complementary trading and risk management activities, offering OTC Commodity Derivatives products, Listed Derivatives and Clearing services as well as Physical commodity capabilities. BNP Paribas has been providing financing and risk management services to the global commodities industry for over a quarter of a century, with the Commodity Derivatives business originally being constructed to respond to the bank's financing clients' hedging needs. The client-centric nature of the platform has remained closely tied to the business' philosophy ever since, and in 2012 the business was ranked number 1 for Excellence in Commodity Finance & Structured Products at the annual Commodity Business Awards.

About BNP Paribas:

BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) has a presence in nearly 80 countries with 190,000 employees, including 145,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across Mediterranean basin countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia-Pacific.

Brokerage services and/or securities products are offered through BNP Paribas Securities Corp., an affiliate of BNP Paribas, a U.S. registered broker-dealer and a member of SIPC, FINRA, the NYSE and other principal exchanges, whose primary office is at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.