iSAM Names Greg Davidson Head of Corporate Infrastructure
London-based iSAM has appointed former LMAX executive Greg Davidson as Head of Corporate Infrastructure. Here is his background and what the move means for the firm and its clients.
London-based alternative asset manager and liquidity provider iSAM has appointed Greg Davidson as Head of Corporate Infrastructure. Davidson joins from LMAX, the institutional execution venue for foreign exchange and digital assets, where he spent the past four years. The appointment places a senior infrastructure specialist at the head of corporate infrastructure for a firm that runs both an asset management business and a prime-of-prime brokerage serving the CFD sector.
This article sets out who Davidson is, how his earlier roles fit together, what iSAM's two main businesses do, and why infrastructure leadership matters for traders who use brokers connected to firms like iSAM. The announcement itself is short, so where details are not public, we say so rather than fill the gaps.
Who Is Greg Davidson?
Davidson has a long career in corporate and technology infrastructure rather than in trading or fund management. Most recently at LMAX, he led the company's Windows Enterprise team. That role sits in the technology layer that keeps internal systems running, which is a different discipline from the market-facing side of the business, but it is closely connected to it. An execution venue depends on stable, secure and well-maintained internal platforms, and the people who run those platforms have to understand the demands of a regulated, high-volume financial environment.
His experience before LMAX is also substantial. He spent 15 years at Cancer Research UK, where his titles included Core Infrastructure and Microsoft Systems Manager. Long tenures in a single organisation usually indicate depth in running systems over time, including maintenance, upgrades, and the day-to-day management of users and services. He also spent two years as an Infrastructure Engineer at EBS, which broadened his experience in a trading-focused technology environment.
Davidson's Career at a Glance
The table below summarises the roles described in the announcement. It does not list dates, because those were not part of the information published.
| Organisation | Role or Area | Relevance to the New Position |
|---|---|---|
| LMAX | Led the Windows Enterprise team (four years in total) | Leadership of enterprise systems inside a regulated, institutional trading venue |
| Cancer Research UK | Core Infrastructure and Microsoft Systems Manager (15 years) | Long-term management of core infrastructure and Microsoft systems |
| EBS | Infrastructure Engineer (two years) | Hands-on infrastructure work in a trading technology setting |
Taken together, these roles show a pattern: Davidson has worked on infrastructure both in a large non-financial organisation and in two firms within the trading sector. That mix is relevant to a corporate role, which typically balances internal IT with the requirements of a financial business.
What iSAM Does
iSAM operates two main businesses, and the head of corporate infrastructure will need to support both:
- iSAM Funds is the firm's alternative asset management business.
- iSAM Securities is a prime-of-prime broker and liquidity provider that serves the CFD brokerage sector.
The two businesses serve different audiences. Fund management is about managing pooled capital for investors. Prime-of-prime brokerage is about providing trading access and liquidity to brokers, which then serve their own end clients. Because the second business sits in the middle of the trading chain, it places particular demands on technology reliability, since downstream brokers depend on it.
What a Head of Corporate Infrastructure Typically Does
iSAM has not published a detailed job description for this role, so we cannot say exactly which responsibilities Davidson will hold. In general terms, a head of corporate infrastructure in a financial firm is usually accountable for:
- Keeping internal networks, servers, and enterprise software stable and secure
- Planning upgrades, migrations and capacity so that systems can handle growth
- Managing vendors, service agreements and the teams that deliver support
- Working with compliance and risk functions on data protection and operational resilience
- Setting standards for how technology is built, monitored and recovered after an incident
For a firm with both asset management and liquidity provision, these tasks overlap. Fund operations need accurate records and secure data handling, while liquidity provision needs systems that stay available during volatile sessions.
Why the Appointment Matters for Traders
Most retail traders never interact directly with a prime-of-prime provider. They use a broker, and that broker may route orders through one or more liquidity providers behind the scenes. When the upstream infrastructure is stable, the effects are invisible. When it is not, traders notice slippage, delayed fills, price feed gaps or withdrawal delays.
The announcement does not say that any changes to iSAM Securities' services are planned, and it would be speculation to assume so. What it does show is that iSAM has brought in an executive with long experience in enterprise systems and trading-related infrastructure to lead this area.
If you want to judge the infrastructure behind your own broker, you can check a few things yourself:
- Look at the broker's regulation and entity details. Confirm which regulator oversees the entity you are trading with, and read the terms that apply to your account.
- Ask who provides liquidity. Some brokers name their liquidity sources, and others do not. A clear answer is a positive sign, though not a guarantee.
- Test execution on a demo or small live account. Watch fill quality during fast-moving news, not only during quiet hours.
- Test withdrawals early. Make a small withdrawal soon after opening an account to see how long it takes.
- Read independent reviews. Our broker reviews, such as the XM Group review, explain how brokers present their execution, fees and account terms, which helps when comparing options.
Davidson's Response to the Move
In a social media post about the move, Davidson said he was looking forward to starting at iSAM after four rewarding years at LMAX. He thanked his former colleagues for their support and said he valued the experience and relationships he built there. The post was a personal reflection and did not include details about his plans at iSAM.
Public statements like this are useful signals about how senior staff view their previous employers, but they are not a substitute for information about a firm's strategy. For a clearer view of how iSAM plans to use its new infrastructure leadership, the firm's own announcements will be the most reliable source.
What to Watch Next
Several questions remain open after the announcement. Readers following iSAM or the brokers that rely on its services may want to track:
- Any official statements on how the the corporate infrastructure role will be structured
- Changes to the services or platforms offered by iSAM Securities to its broker clients
- Updates from brokers that publicly name iSAM as a liquidity or prime-of-prime partner
Trading involves significant risk, and leveraged products such as CFDs can lose money quickly. Corporate appointments like this one do not change the risk of your own trades, so keep your position sizes and risk limits in line with your plan.
About iSAM
iSAM is a London-based alternative asset manager and liquidity provider. It operates iSAM Funds, its alternative asset management business, and iSAM Securities, a prime-of-prime broker and liquidity provider that serves the CFD brokerage sector.
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not financial advice.
Further reading: Contract for difference (Wikipedia).
