Newedge has made two appointments in its alternative investment solutions (AIS) group, a part of Newedge’s prime clearing services.

Leslie Richman and Duncan Crawford have been appointed co-global head alternative investment solutions.

Richman is based in Chicago and has been leading alternative investment solutions in the US for nearly two decades.

Crawford is based in London and has run capital introductions globally for the past 12 years. Previously, he held various senior management and trading roles with Newedge and its predecessor firms since 1991.

Keith Johnson has been appointed global head of capital introductions, based in Chicago. He was previously head of capital introductions Americas.

James Skeggs and Ryan Duncan co-run the advisory group globally. The AIS advisory group provides investor-focused analysis on a wide variety of hedge fund strategies including managed futures, global macro, commodity, currency, and volatility trading.

Based in London, Skeggs was previously head of research EMEA, where he wrote numerous papers on hedge funds and portfolio construction topics and designed custom performance and risk reporting for managed account investors.

Prior to this appointment, Duncan was head of research, Americas. He is based in Chicago and amongst other responsibilities manages the Newedge Index committee.

Chris Topple (pictured), global head of prime clearing services at Newedge, says: “Alternative investment solutions are a vital and dynamically changing part of our franchise which brings together highly talented and dedicated individuals with unique skill sets and experiences. The new structure reflects our strong focus on best of class client service on a truly global level and further enhancing our core offerings.”