Derek Sammann, CME Group - The Importance of Electronification and Globalization - MWE WOO

"The amount of structural change — driven by market regulations, the implosion of the credit markets, events in Greece, the hangover from 2008/2009 — has created an incredible amount of change that's wrenching the infrastructure from the moorings of the last four years." A booming voice, large stature (did you play college football?), the ability to do math quickly since markets were made in minds — these were qualities Derek Sammann of CME Group recalls firms looking for when he became a trader in 1990. After 25 years, Sammann sees a much different landscape. Electronification shifted priorities from the pits to server rooms. Access to global markets no longer requires a central, physical trading hub. Focus rests less and less on the activities of day-to-day trading, but rather on optimizing infrastructure. With those macro examples in mind, Sammann imparts the valuable lesson, "change will not slow down, change will speed up."