Chain, Inc., a U.S.-based blockchain startup, has announced that Goldman Sachs Managing Director Tom Jessop is joining the company as President, effective immediately.
Prior to Chain, Jessop served as the Managing Director, Technology Business Development and Chief Financial Officer of the Technology Division, at Goldman Sachs. He will report to Adam Ludwin, CEO at Chain, and be responsible for leading all facets of Chain’s commercial efforts.
“Blockchain technology is market technology, re-imagined,” said Ludwin. “Commercializing this breakthrough model requires forging deep partnerships across a market and driving change that benefits every participant. Tom has done exactly that, repeatedly, over his tenure leading business development and strategic investments at Goldman Sachs. He is an accomplished leader who brings an impressive combination of operational expertise coupled with widespread recognition as a strategic thinker in the financial technology, capital markets, and blockchain industries. We are thrilled to have him join our management team.”
During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Jessop primarily focused on creating and investing in technology platforms for capital markets. In his Technology Business Development role, he led a number of successful investments and joint ventures. Prior to this assignment, he was also a senior leader in the Principal Strategic Investments group where he managed a global team focused on investments in exchanges, e-trading platforms, post-trade networks, and other fintech solutions across the fixed-income, currency, commodity, and equity markets. In 2015, Jessop was named to Institutional Investor’s inaugural “Fintech Finance 35” list.
Before his stint at Goldman Sachs, Jessop was a Managing Director at Standard & Poor’s where he was responsible for launching and running several businesses, managing cross-functional teams, and providing strategic planning and marketing leadership.
“I am honored to join Chain at an incredible time in this dynamic industry,” said Jessop. “Chain has established itself as the leading enterprise blockchain platform by delivering an array of high profile, high impact projects that are poised to transform the rails of the financial industry. I am excited to collaborate with Chain’s team, customers, and strategic partners to accelerate the adoption of blockchain technology in financial services and other industries.”
Founded in 2014, Chain has raised over $40 million in funding from Khosla Ventures, RRE Ventures, and strategic partners including Capital One, Citigroup, Fiserv, Nasdaq, Orange, and Visa.
