Copper Appoints Former Flow Traders CEO Mike Kuehnel as Chairman and John Meserve as Non-Executive Director to Support Next Phase of Institutional Growth in the US
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Copper Technologies (“Copper”), a leading digital asset infrastructure provider, today announced a series of board changes to support the company’s next phase of institutional growth and its strategic global expansion. These appointments further strengthen Copper’s governance as the company advances its regulatory engagement and institutional presence in the United States, where it is pursuing regulated status.
Mike Kuehnel has been appointed Chairman, succeeding Lord Hammond; in addition, John Meserve has joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director, succeeding Jim Turley.
Lord Hammond said, “It has been a privilege to lead Copper as Chair for the last three years during its transition from an early-stage fintech to a trusted provider of market infrastructure to institutional participants in digital asset markets. The company is now ready to pursue substantial opportunities emerging in the US. I am delighted to be handing over to a Chair of Mike Kuehnel’s caliber, whose expertise across digital assets and financial market infrastructure will be highly valuable to Copper as it enters its next phase of growth.”
Jim Turley, outgoing chair of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, added, “I am proud of the resilient and robust controls that we have implemented at Copper over the last three years, setting standards for the institutional custody and collateral mobility of blockchain-based assets. I am also happy that Copper will continue to build on this strong foundation with John Meserve’s leadership of the ARC Committee.”
Strengthening leadership to support institutional growth in the US
Mike Kuehnel brings extensive leadership experience across global financial markets, strategy, and technology. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Flow Traders, one of the world’s leading publicly listed electronic liquidity providers, and held senior roles at Bain & Company and Goldman Sachs.
He stepped down from Flow Traders to focus on the transformative role of artificial intelligence in reshaping financial markets and market infrastructure, particularly in advancing innovation, efficiency, and the future architecture of institutional financial markets. As a longstanding advocate of digital assets and the technological evolution of financial market infrastructure, he has built deep relationships across the US institutional ecosystem, including with leading market participants, regulators, and investors.
Kuehnel added:
“Copper has established itself internationally as a trusted provider of secure and efficient digital asset infrastructure for institutional clients. As market structure continues to evolve, there is a significant opportunity to build on that position in the United States. I look forward to working closely with the Board and management team to support Copper’s next phase of institutional growth and further broaden its presence in this market.”
Meserve joins the Board with more than four decades of experience in banking infrastructure, corporate trust and custody, including senior leadership roles at The Bank of New York. Based in the United States, he will support Copper’s engagement with regulators, investors, and institutional clients, while helping to strengthen key governance pillars including audit, risk, and compliance.
Meserve added:
“As institutional adoption gathers pace, the focus must be on building resilient, scalable market infrastructure that institutions can rely on. Copper has taken a disciplined approach to building institutional-grade infrastructure and I look forward to supporting its continued expansion in the US.”
Amar Kuchinad, Chief Executive Officer of Copper, said:
“I want to thank Philip and Jim for their contributions over the last three years to make Copper the industry benchmark in blockchain-based collateral mobility solutions. Personally, I am deeply appreciative for their advice and insights over the past year and a half since I joined Copper. While I will miss their involvement in the leadership of the company, I am happy that they will remain as stakeholders in Copper’s success.
I am also excited to welcome Mike and John to Copper. Their appointments reflect a deliberate move to align Copper’s governance and leadership with the opportunities we see ahead. Institutional adoption of blockchain and digital assets is moving from exploration to implementation, and the US is becoming the defining jurisdiction for that shift. Mike’s knowledge of global markets across asset classes, experience leading a major publicly listed electronic liquidity provider, strong connectivity on Wall Street, and conviction in the long-term role of blockchain infrastructure will be instrumental in supporting our next phase of growth. John's experience at BNY and relationships with many traditional financial market infrastructure providers will also be invaluable to Copper as we continue to develop products and services that provide our institutional clients and partners with seamless access to the fragmented landscape of blockchain-based assets and protocols.”
Contacts
Kate Light, Global Head of Marketing
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