AXA Investment Management’s (IM) head of trading and industry heavyweight Paul Squires is to leave after 21 years with the firm, a spokesperson has confirmed.

Squires first joined the firm in 1996 as an equity trader in the UK before moving to trade European equities in 1999 and then to fixed income in 2003.

In 2005, he was promoted to head of trading after AXA IM’s trading group merged with the securities financing team. 

As head of trading, Squires was responsible for 31 traders in London, Paris and Greenwich in the US covering equities, fixed income FX and derivatives.

AXA Investment Management said in a statement: “AXA IM can confirm that Paul Squires will leave the firm. Paul has been an integral part of the AXA IM Trading and Securities Finance team for 21 years and we wish him every success for the future.”

The asset manager added the trading and securities finance team will be led by Daniel Leon, head of engineering and execution in the interim, with further details to be announced in due course.

Leon first joined AXA in 2000 as CIO of investment solutions, before leaving to join BNP Paribas as head of rates and as head of solution trading group with the French investment bank.

He returned to AXA in 2014 as head of client solutions development.

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He coordinates operational activities for equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, listed derivatives, over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, repo and stock lending trading.

The past year has seen Hoche’s involvement in establishing new and enhanced trading systems across all asset classes, including OTC derivatives.

He played a key role in overseeing the implementation of European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) obligations at AXA IM.

Hoche has been in his current role since June 2010. Before that he spent six years as business coordinator.

Prior to joining AXA Investment Management, Hoche spent five years as Barclays Capital’s head of product control for the fixed income trading desk, two years as product controller for the commodities trading desk at UBS and two years at Elf Trading SA as middle-officer for the commodities trading desk. 

His career started in 1992 as part of Société Générale’s capital markets team.

He graduated with a degree in Economics from ENSIMAG (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Informatique et de Mathématiques Appliquées de Grenoble) and obtained a Master’s degree in International Finance from HEC Paris.

Hoche’s priorities for 2016 are EMIR and Mifid II.

Married with two daughters aged seven and three, outside of work Hoche enjoys running.

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French financial group Axa has confirmed an employee in its Belgium office has been hospitalised as a result of the Brussels attacks on Tuesday.

31 people were killed and 250 were injured as a result of the explosions at Brussels airport and at a metro station on Tuesday.

Axa confirmed that the man is employed at the company’s Brussels office, which is home to the group’s buy-side operation Axa Investment Managers Benelux.

A spokesman for AXA Belgium said that the employee’s family and girlfriend have been informed of the incident.

He said: “Unfortunately, we have been aware of one injured amid our staff and our thoughts go out to him and his related, as well as to all persons affected by these attacks.”

The severity of the man's injuries is not yet known. Axa’s staff were asked to remain within the office building yesterday, and organise car-sharing to ensure everyone got home safely.

Financial services with offices across Brussels have taken similar precautions

A spokesperson at BNP Paribas Fortis, which is located just 20 minutes from the airport where the attack took place, said that the firm had taken measures to ensure the safety of staff.

Bags are being checked on arrival and staff are required to wear a visible badge to identify themselves.

Staff were not permitted to enter or leave the building between 10.00am and 4.15pm, ensuring a complete lockdown.

Today, BNP Paribas Fortis’ staff have been asked to work from home, except for a few critical staff members, according to the spokesperson.

Euroclear’s headquarters is also based in Brussels, and the company explained: “We activated our related contingency plans and protocols in order to secure and protect our people, and ensure the resiliency of our services to clients and the financial markets.”

Since the attacks earlier this week, security at airports and in cities has been stepped up across Europe and the US as a precaution.

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