Kraken strengthens leadership team with two key appointments

We are excited to announce we have further strengthened our leadership team with two key appointments that will help position us for continued growth amid evolving global regulatory environments.

With Gilles BianRosa as Chief Operating and Product Officer (COO/CPO) and Marcus Hughes as Global Head of Regulatory Strategy, we are gearing up to double down in our core markets as we increase product innovation and further diversify our global footprint.

“As we get ready for the next phase of growth in crypto markets, we need to ensure we can quickly adapt to rapidly changing market trends while navigating an increasingly complex and divergent regulatory landscape,” said Kraken CEO David Ripley. “We will be innovating, launching new products, entering new markets and continuously improving our offering – all while ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements across the many markets we operate in.”

With more than two decades of entrepreneurship and product leadership experience, Gilles brings a deep understanding of product development and operational excellence to us. Most recently, Gilles was CPO at leading European neobank N26, where he was responsible for defining, leading and implementing the global product strategy.

He also launched crypto trading in the neobank’s core markets. Prior to N26, Gilles was the CPO of SoundCloud and led Samsung Electronics’ content and services division.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Gilles to the Kraken team during a pivotal moment of growth for our company,” said Ripley. “He has a proven track record of delivering innovative products across global organizations with velocity. Combined with his strategic insight, this will enable us to continue carrying out our mission of making crypto accessible to its next billion users through Kraken’s leading products and services.”

Gilles will lead strategy, global business operations, product and design, driving the next generation of crypto products and services that will enable clients to seamlessly transact in crypto. Gilles reports to CEO David Ripley.

“I’m thrilled to join Kraken in a role that blends my passions for product strategy, innovation and operational optimization,” said Gilles BianRosa. “I understand the importance of running cohesive and aligned product and operations functions and I’m looking forward to working with teams across the company to build and deploy innovative products that expand access to crypto globally.”

With Marcus, we gain a seasoned professional that brings a wealth of legal, commercial and regulatory expertise across traditional finance and crypto. Marcus was previously Managing Director of Coinbase’s European business and General Counsel for its international operations. With nearly a decade of traditional finance experience at Morgan Stanley before that, he is well positioned to drive our regulatory strategy and expansion efforts around the globe. 

“As a global player we need to adapt to changes in regulation across the markets we operate in while ensuring we are efficient and effective when building out our footprint to best serve our clients. There’s no one better equipped to help Kraken navigate the complexities of a fragmented and fast evolving regulatory landscape than Marcus,” said Ripley. “He will be instrumental in ensuring our offering meets the highest regulatory standards so we can offer our products and services across the globe.”

In his role, Marcus will collaborate with our leadership team to craft a strategy that takes into account the complex global nature of operating in crypto today. He will lead a team of legal regulatory experts across the markets we operate in. He will work closely with our government affairs team to inform our advocacy efforts and work with leaders across the organization to ensure the ongoing compliance of our offerings. Marcus reports to Chief Legal Officer Marco Santori.

“I’m proud to be chosen to represent Kraken in our engagements with regulators across the world and help grow the company in this next phase of Kraken’s journey,” said Marcus Hughes. “Kraken’s mission of accelerating crypto adoption through a relentless focus on client satisfaction and security is contingent upon giving as many people as possible access to our product offering. I couldn’t be more motivated to help the company unlock the opportunities crypto creates for as many people as possible across the globe.”