LEADING FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY FIRM APPOINTS QUEEN'S GRADUATE TO SENIOR CYBERSECURITY ROLE 
17 November 2017
Options, the leading provider of cloud-enabled managed services to the global capital markets, has announced the appointment of John Gracey, BSc 1994, to its top team.
The company’s new VP, Cybersecurity John will be responsible for leading internal cybersecurity initiatives and for the development of the Options Managed Security solution. He joins fellow Queen’s graduate Danny Moore (MEng 1996, MPhil 2007), Options Chief Operating Officer, on the senior Management Team.
Founded in 1993, Options has a presence in the USA, Canada and Asia as well as in London, Belfast (since 2014) and Dublin. In June, the company was named among the UK’s leading growth companies in the 2017 Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table. And in August, Options received a growth investment from private equity firm Bregal Sagemount.
Options began life as a hedge fund technology services provider. More than a decade ago, the company made a strategic decision to become the first provider to offer cloud services to the financial sector.
John brings over 15 years of experience in IT security gained while working for some of the world’s leading technology companies including IBM and BT. He joins Options from Capita Managed IT Solutions where he most recently held the role of Interim Head of Information Security. At Capita, John provided security expertise to clients across a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations.
In addition to his degree from Queen’s, he holds the CISSP cybersecurity certification as well as multiple qualifications from the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS), the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), the Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB), Microsoft, Cisco, Juniper, HP and Brocade.
Speaking about the appointment, John said: “With the increasing magnitude of vulnerabilities, it’s imperative that our strategy, policies and infrastructure defences are fit and ready to counter new and emerging threats.
I look forward to working with the Options team as we evolve these best practices to protect our clients’ estate.”
Options CEO and founder, Nigel Kneafsey, commented: “In choosing Options as a managed service provider, our clients leverage a pool of talented professionals as a trusted extension to their own team. John’s expertise further cements our existing cyber security domain expertise and will be pivotal in our aims to provide the best managed security practice in the industry. We are delighted to welcome him to the team.”
John Bryant, Options CTO, added: “Information security continues to dominate board-level concerns for our clients and their investors. John’s thorough understanding of the cybersecurity landscape and his experience in defining security strategy will prove invaluable as we continue to roll-out platform security enhancements and ramp up our proactive cybersecurity initiatives to safeguard our clients.”
For more on Options, visit www.options-it.com, follow them on Twitter at @Options_IT or visit the company LinkedIn page.
General inquiries to Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen’s University Belfast, tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.
Back to Main News
Top of Page