As of 1 September 2009, Vassilis Vergotis (39) will succeed Heike Eckert (40) as manager of the Eurex offices in Chicago and New York. In his new assignment, Mr. Vergotis will be responsible for relationship management with existing members and the acquisition of new customers as well as Eurex's business development in the Americas.

"Over the past three years Heike has again demonstrated her very strong leadership skills and proven ability to deliver outstanding results. Her dedication, work ethic and achievements have significantly strengthened Eurex's presence and growth in the U.S., and I look forward to her continued contributions as she assumes a new leadership role back in Frankfurt", said Andreas Preuss, Eurex CEO. "I am confident that Vassilis will be able to build upon this successful work and continue to grow Eurex's business. He has been a committed member of our staff in Chicago since 2003, and his market expertise will serve us well in the next phase of our U.S. growth."

Heike Eckert assumed responsibility for the management of Eurex's activities in the U.S. on 1 January 2007. Before her assignment in Chicago, she held a number of leadership and project management positions within Eurex and Deutsche Börse which she joined in June 1995. She will continue her successful career within Eurex upon her return to Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

Vassilis Vergotis has most recently been responsible for Eurex's sell side business development in the Americas. Prior to that, he held a variety of roles within Eurex including product development where he played an instrumental role in growing the exchange's European equity options business.

The United States are one of the most important markets for Eurex. Of the total number of more than 400 Eurex members, some 75 are located in the U.S. These members have been able to trade Eurex products directly from the U.S. since the mid-1990s.