Blythe Masters
Blythe Masters, the former CEO of the blockchain and digital ledger start-up Digital Asset Holdings, joined Motive Partners, a private equity start-up active in traditional financial services, in December 2019. According to a statement from the company, Masters's new job "will focus on thematic strategy development, deal origination, execution and value creation for Motive Partners portfolio companies."[1] In 2022, Masters was inducted into the Futures Industry Association's Futures Hall of Fame, which was established in 2005 to commemorate outstanding contributions to the global futures and options community. [2] Masters joined Digital Asset Holdings as CEO in March 2015 and stepped down in December 2018.[3][4][5] The company said she would remain a board member, strategic advisor and shareholder.[6][7] She was named chairwoman of the board of Santander Consumer USA on July 15, 2015[8] but quit that position in July of 2016 to switch to a new role at Santander as a senior adviser on blockchain. She also joined Santander’s international advisory board and became a director of Openbank, its online lender.[9] She is the former the head of global commodities at JPMorgan Chase & Co. She was named to this position in 2007 and left in 2014 after the commodities unit was acquired by Mercuria.[10][11] After the 2008 financial crisis, JPMorgan and Masters made ambitious efforts to increase the company's presence in commodities in an environment where intense competition, new regulations, and relatively stable commodities prices were making the business less profitable for big banks.[12] While she was head of the commodities division, revenues doubled between 2006 and 2009 as she increased the unit's reliance on client revenue over proprietary trading. She frequently represented the company and the industry in Washington on issues ranging from potential curbs on commodities trading to the financial regulatory overhaul.[13] In spring of 2013, Masters was mentioned in an investigation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission into accusations of illegal trading in the California and Michigan electricity markets. FERC investigators found that JPMorgan had designed trading “schemes” that converted “money-losing power plants into powerful profit centers,” according to a FERC document. The investigators said Masters had made false and misleading statements under oath. JPMorgan strongly defended Masters, saying she had not lied or acted inappropriately. The bank ultimately reached a $410 million settlement with the agency.[14] In 2012, she took on the additional responsibility of running regulatory affairs for the firm’s corporate and investment bank. She was a member of JP Morgan Chase's executive committee and corporate and investment bank leadership team. Her responsibilities included structuring and distribution of credit derivative products and related credit risk management strategies, both for JP Morgan and its clients.[15] In February 2012, Masters became chairman of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA), which represents the common interests of the world’s leading financial and capital markets participants. In February 2014, Masters was invited to join the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Global Markets Advisory Committee. [16] However, Masters withdrew from the advisory committee a day after her appointment was disclosed. [17] Democratic lawmakers objected to her participation in the CFTC panel because of her role presiding over a unit accused of manipulating power markets. [18] She also chaired the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) in 2009.[19] Masters has been credited with inventing credit default swaps.[20][21] Blythe Masters has been a prominent supporter of blockchain technology since 2015. She is known for her belief that financial institutions like banks can benefit from blockchain technology by integrating it into existing digital frameworks, cutting costs by eliminating the need for middlemen like clearing houses and other back office financial entities.[22] Background[edit]Born in Oxford, England, Masters started out at JP Morgan in 1991 as an 18-year-old intern on the London commodities desk.[23] She rose quickly through the ranks to become a managing director at age 28, the youngest woman to achieve that status in the firm's history.[24] [25] From 2004 to 2006, Masters was the chief financial officer of J.P. Morgan's investment bank. Before that she was J.P Morgan’s head of Global Credit Portfolio, Credit Policy, Strategy and portfolio management.[26] Education[edit]Masters received a B.A. in economics, with honors, from Trinity College in Cambridge, England.[27] FIA Hall of Fame Video[edit]Other Resources[edit]References[edit]
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