Liam Smith started his career in the derivatives industry over 16 years ago with CME Group. Today he serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Optiver, a leading global market making and CME self-clearing firm, overseeing the strategic direction of the firm in the US & UK. In this role, he has a mandate to lead market structure initiatives, business development, regulatory affairs, external partnerships, clearing, strategic investments, and execution services for US markets. Additionally, he is the chair of Optiver’s political action committee (PAC) and has co-authored a number of influential white papers on market structure issues across futures and securities markets.
Previously, Liam spent over nine years at CME Group as a director in both products and sales, with assignments in Chicago, London, and Singapore. This international experience contributes to his expertise in global financial markets. Liam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Providence College, where was a member of the Lacrosse team. Liam is an active member of the FIA Principal Traders Group (FIA-PTG), serving on the Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the Security Traders Association (STA). Further, he serves as a board member of the Miami Exchange (MIAX Emerald), as a member of the CBOE Advisory Board, and as an alternative board member for the Members Exchange (MEMX). He chairs the MEMX Options Market Structure Committee and represents FIA-PTG on the CFTC Agriculture Advisory Committee.