Chicago - Fidessa group plc said it had made two key appointments in financial technology and derivatives with the additions of Yuriy Shterk as senior product manager and Michael Wilkins as trader support specialist.

The investment management and information group said Shterk will be involved with the design and implementation of new products and services, while Wilkins will provide training and assistance on Fidessa's futures and options platform.

Shterk comes to Fidessa from CQG, where he was most recently vice president of product Strategy. Wilkins was a pre-sales executive for SunGard Global Trading and a training manager at Orc Software.

Dan Smalley, head of derivatives business development at Fidessa US, said the two appointments showed how important Chicago was a part of the group's derivatives business.

"The Chicago office and its co-located exchange infrastructure is a vital extension to Fidessa's vast global buy-side and sell-side network, and it underscores our dedication to the long-term viability of the derivatives space," he said.

Fidessa's trading network connects 3,600 participants and extends across about 200 venues in the Americas, EMEA and Asia, including more than 34 derivatives exchanges. Fidessa said the network carries the order flow of more than $800 billion each month.