Tradeweb
From London to New York: Experiencing a changing market
13 October 2026
Declan Swinburne, assistant vice president, AiEX product manager at Tradeweb, speaks to Carmella Haswell about his entrance into the securities finance market, remaining open-minded as he explores opportunities, and breaking the ‘exclusive’ appearance of the financial industry
Image: Declan Swinburne
Can you tell me about your journey into the securities finance industry?
I started out doing an internship at Aquis Exchange, where I worked mostly on data analysis within the sales team. When I started thinking about what I wanted to do next, I knew I wanted to stay within financial markets but broaden my exposure beyond equities and work across different asset classes.
Joining Tradeweb’s Automated Intelligent Execution (AiEX) team gave me exactly that opportunity, working across products to explore how automation can enhance clients’ trading strategies. Today, my role spans many different aspects of the AiEX business, from working with clients and supporting the day-to-day service to identifying opportunities for growth and helping shape new enhancements and functionalities. It gives me the variety I was looking for at the start of my career, while allowing me to stay close to both the technology and the clients using it.
As a young professional, what aspects of your role or the industry do you find most exciting?
It is a very fast-moving, continuously evolving industry, and I am in a pretty unique position to be close to that change. The way people trade, and the role technology plays in that process, looks significantly different today compared with just a few years ago.
AiEX has evolved from a rule-based auto-execution efficiency tool into an increasingly important part of clients’ trading workflows, and we are continuing to explore new use cases, products, and ways automation can support traders. Being able not only to see that evolution first-hand, but also to play a part in shaping it, is one of the most exciting aspects of my role.
My recent move from London to New York has given me another perspective on that evolution, because automation adoption is at a very different stage in the US than it is in parts of Europe. I now have the opportunity to take what I learnt working with clients and products in Europe and think about how those experiences can translate to the US market. Understanding those differences and helping support the next stage of adoption here is something I find particularly exciting.
Many companies offer various training and development opportunities for their employees. How has your company supported your growth?
When I started in London, I was part of one of the early cohorts of Tradeweb’s Analyst Programme, which helped build my broader financial markets knowledge while also covering some of the practical skills you need when starting your career.
Beyond formal training, one of the things I have valued most is how accessible people across the company have been. My role means I work with colleagues across sales, product, and technology, and there has always been an open-door culture when I have wanted to learn more. Early in my career, that could mean sitting down with a more experienced colleague to understand how to approach a client conversation; at other times, it has meant going directly to product specialists to deepen my understanding of a particular market or workflow. Being surrounded by people who are willing to share their expertise has been invaluable.
The move to New York has been its own huge growth opportunity too. Tradeweb has been really supportive in making that happen and it has given me a chance to experience a completely different market.
What misconceptions about working in the financial industry have you encountered, and how do you address these challenges?
I think there is still a strong stereotype around the type of person who works in financial services, and that can make the industry seem more exclusive than it actually is. My experience could not have been more different. I have found it incredibly welcoming and have worked alongside people from a huge range of academic and professional backgrounds.
I come from an engineering background, while colleagues around me have studied non-STEM subjects or even started their careers in completely different industries. What matters much more is the perspective and skills you can bring to the role, alongside a willingness to learn.
What advice do you have for other young professionals aspiring to pursue a career in your industry?
I would say stay open-minded. The job I am doing now is not what I would have predicted a couple of years ago. When you first enter the industry, you might think you want to work in a particular area without having had the opportunity to experience what the alternatives actually involve. Look for an environment that will give you room to learn, expose you to different areas, and allow you to discover what genuinely interests you.
Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the next five years in terms of your career goals and aspirations?
I am just a few months into my new role in New York, so right now I am enjoying the opportunity to get to know a new market, work with a different set of clients, and understand how their needs and workflows differ from what I was used to in Europe. I would like to keep building on that experience and continue putting myself in situations where I am learning and being challenged.
It is also a very interesting time to be doing that. The proliferation of data and the pace of advances in AI are creating new possibilities for how we analyse markets and automate workflows. I am excited to see how that evolves over the next five years and hopefully play a part in turning some of those developments into capabilities that genuinely make a difference for clients.
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