GFI creates standalone chief financial officer role

Inter-dealer broker GFI has hired James Peers, a former Bank One executive, as its chief financial officer.

Peers was corporate controller and head of management planning and reporting at Bank One in Chicago. Prior to working for Bank One, he was chief financial officer at Rabobank International in New York. He has also worked for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, where he was head of corporate development. He began his career as an accountant with Ernst & Young in Toronto, where he eventually became a partner.

Michael Gooch, GFI’s chief executive, said Peers’ “hands-on” experience in financial operations, strategic development and regulatory matters will reinforce the company’s future initiatives.

GFI’s chief operating officer Steve McMillan, who was appointed in 2000, undertook responsibility for the company’s finances before the appointment of Peers. A spokeswoman for GFI said the broker had expanded to the point where a specialist chief financial officer was required.