In his role as COO, Harkins will be responsible for helping direct all operational affairs of the Company. Harkins, who previously held the title of Head of Sales & Strategy, will continue to report to William O'Brien, Direct Edge's Chief Executive Officer. As COO, Mr. Harkins succeeds William Karsh, who is leaving the Company at year-end to pursue other opportunities.

"Direct Edge is extremely fortunate to have an executive with Bryan's passion for excellence, experience and industry knowledge and I look forward to working with him as COO as we continue to scale the Company for the significant growth opportunities ahead," said O'Brien. "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Bill Karsh for his commitment and contributions to the Company. We wish him success in all of his future endeavors."

"I am excited and ready to embrace the new operational duties while still striving to foster the culture of innovation and value creation that have come to identify Direct Edge," said Harkins.

Harkins has over 11 years of experience in the electronic trading space, having held a variety of technical, operational, and senior sales positions at Instinet, BRUT LLC, and NASDAQ. Since joining the company in March of 2007, he has managed the sales team, been instrumental in the product development, and the company's strategy to capture over 10% of the US equity market.