Raju comes to TradeKing having served in senior global IT roles at both the Associated Press and Borders Group Inc. where he oversaw the infrastructure and operations groups for these vast global organizations. He will be based in the firm's Charlotte, NC, offices and will be responsible for heading up all of the firm's technology-based initiatives, reporting directly to TradeKing President and COO Rich Hagen.

"It became very clear to us in speaking with Dan and evaluating his experience that he is deeply proficient at driving efficiency and stability through periods of corporate hyper-growth and change," said Hagen. "He has a great track record of identifying new opportunities to maximize operational performance and using technology to drive greater organizational value. We believe Dan will be a great asset to our firm and, consequently, to our clients."

Raju was most recently Senior Director and Associate Vice President of Global Technology Infrastructure & Operations at the Associated Press where he was charged with overseeing all aspects of technology operations, strategy, engineering and support for the world's largest news company with operations in 300 plus global locations supporting about 10,000 newspapers and broadcasters and members. Before that, Raju held the position of senior director of IT Infrastructure and & Operations for Borders Group Inc. where he spent three years managing the complete infrastructure and operational support services for the Fortune 500 company with annual sales of over $4 Billion derived via its online and more than 1,400 retail stores. He has also held senior IT positions with other major national brand companies including Charming Shoppes (parent to fashion retailers Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and others), Safety-Kleen and NCR Corporation. Raju received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from JN Technology University in India and a Masters of Science in Computer Science from the University of Mississippi.