Profile: Isda chair Stephen O'Connor on OTC market reform

Being clear

The choice of Stephen O’Connor as new chairman of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association in April sends a very clear message. Isda has, in the past, tended to pluck its chairmen from the trading floor – the most recent was Eraj Shirvani, head of fixed income for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Credit Suisse. O’Connor is different: he has spent a chunk of his more than 20-year career at Morgan Stanley working in central clearing. It’s a change of tack that speaks volumes about