Openlink, Aspect and TriplePoint CEOs on being ION firms
Mergers and acquisitions are not uncommon in the world of commodity trading and risk management (CTRM) software, but the recent shopping spree by Ion Investment Group took even the CTRM technology market by surprise.
In just five years, Ion – owner of Openlink, Aspect Enterprise Solutions and TriplePoint – has gone from virtual unknown to the biggest player in the commodities software space. This has left customers of the three firms keen to understand what this new positioning will mean. Questions about Ion’s strategic vision also loom large, especially given the challenges of its 2013 purchase of TriplePoint.
Mark Tirschwell, TriplePoint chief executive, concedes that the firm did go quiet for a while after the deal, but he insists it is back now and looking forward to new alliances with it former competitors. Steve Hughes, chief executive officer (CEO) of Aspect, and Rich Grossi, Openlink’s CEO, are also optimistic about the next chapter in their firms’ development.
The three CEOs discuss future plans for the companies’ four competing systems, addressing questions about how they will work together and whether there will be retirement or integration of products.
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