Spotware Exec David Kivakude Joins TradeLocker as CCO

TradeLocker names Spotware's David Kivakude as Chief Commercial Officer

Trading platform provider TradeLocker has appointed David Kivakude as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). The move strengthens the company's commercial team as it focuses on brokers, prop firms and broader market growth.

Kivakude is based in Cyprus and brings more than 20 years of experience across banking, wealth management, insurance, and trading technology. Most recently, he worked at Spotware Systems, the developer behind cTrader, where he was Business Development Manager. In that role, he helped grow cTrader's white-label partner network worldwide and worked with brokers to add cTrader to their trading setup and expand their operations.

What David Kivakude brings to TradeLocker

Kivakude's career spans several parts of the financial sector. Before Spotware, he held roles at Your Bourse, CyStar Insurance, deVere Group, and NatWest. Taken together, these positions cover trading, insurance, wealth management and banking, which gives him a broad view of how financial firms and their clients operate.

For a commercial leader, that breadth can be useful. Brokers, prop firms and technology providers each have different priorities, from product fit and onboarding to client support and long-term partnerships. Experience across these areas helps when building relationships on both sides of a trading platform.

Career highlights at a glance

• More than 20 years of experience across banking, wealth management, insurance, and trading technology
• Most recent role: Business Development Manager at Spotware Systems, developer of cTrader
• Helped grow cTrader's white-label partner network worldwide
• Earlier roles at Your Bourse, CyStar Insurance, deVere Group, and NatWest
• Based in Cyprus

Lessons from the cTrader partner network

White-label partnerships allow a broker to offer a trading platform under its own brand, while the underlying technology is supplied by a third party. Growing a network like this involves onboarding partners, supporting their setup and keeping them active over time.

The work also requires understanding how brokers choose and configure their trading environment. David Kivakude's work at Spotware involved direct contact with brokers who wanted to add cTrader to their operations. That experience is relevant to TradeLocker, where brokers and prop firms are key customers, and understanding how a partner evaluates a platform can help a commercial team shape its offer.

Kivakude's view on joining TradeLocker

Kivakude said TradeLocker is the platform brokers and prop firms have been waiting for. He added that his career has centered on connecting the right people with the right opportunities, and that he sees this as the biggest opportunity he has found in trading technology.

He also pointed to the team's product, momentum, and vision as reasons for joining now. Commercial leaders often weigh these factors carefully, because a platform's growth depends on whether its product, team direction and market timing line up.

Why brokers and prop firms are watching

Prop firms, short for proprietary trading firms, typically use their own capital to fund trading activity. In the retail space, many prop firms provide funded accounts to traders who pass evaluation challenges. You can read more about the underlying concept on Proprietary trading (Wikipedia).

Because TradeLocker serves both brokers and prop firms, a commercial leader's role covers two different types of client. For readers tracking the appointment of David Kivakude, the key question is how the company plans to meet the needs of both groups as it grows.

TradeLocker's leadership team is taking shape

TradeLocker has been building out its leadership team over the past year. Last year, the company hired former IG Group executive Dom Bradley as CEO. More recently, it brought in Saxo Bank alum Alex Skolar as Chief Product Officer.

Kivakude's appointment adds a commercial leader to that group. Product, commercial and executive roles all shape how a platform reaches the market, so the combined team will influence how the company's plans develop. For readers following leadership moves across the sector, our coverage of David Freeman Takes Over as CEO of GS Securities shows another example of how firms reshape their management.

What David Kivakude will do at TradeLocker

In his new role, Kivakude will lead TradeLocker's global commercial strategy. He will also oversee broker and prop firm growth worldwide and help build the partnerships that support the company's next stage of expansion.

In practice, a commercial strategy of this kind usually covers how a platform is presented to partners, how new business is pursued and how long-term relationships are maintained. Based on David Kivakude's background, partner development is likely to be a central part of the work, given his experience helping grow a white-label network.

Key points from the David Kivakude appointment

• TradeLocker has named the kivakude as Chief Commercial Officer.
• He leads global commercial strategy and broker and prop firm growth.
• His background includes Spotware Systems and cTrader partner development.
• The wider leadership team includes Dom Bradley as CEO and Alex Skolar as Chief Product Officer.

What traders should check when evaluating any platform

Leadership news is one signal, but traders should judge a platform mainly on its features, costs and terms. The steps below can help you compare options before opening an account.

1. Confirm the broker or firm's regulatory status using the regulator's own public register.
2. Test the platform on a demo account to see how the charting and order tools feel in practice.
3. Review execution details, including spreads, commissions and order types, in the official documents.
4. Check risk management features such as stop-loss and take-profit orders, and how they behave in fast markets.
5. Read the terms on withdrawals, fees, and available support channels.

Trading involves risk, and leverage can magnify losses as well as gains, so only trade with money you can afford to lose.

About TradeLocker

TradeLocker is a trading platform built for traders, brokers, and prop firms. It offers charting tools, trade execution, and risk management features across web, desktop, and mobile. The platform supports users from demo trading through to live accounts.

TradeLocker is part of Fintech investment group Deus X Capital. Its multi-device design means traders can move between environments while keeping access to the same core tools, which is one reason the platform is relevant to both individual traders and firms that manage capital for others.

The bigger picture for the sector

Appointments like this one show how trading technology companies are investing in commercial teams that understand brokers and prop firms. As the market for trading tools becomes more competitive, leaders who can explain a platform's value clearly and build durable partnerships are increasingly important.

Overall, the appointment of the kivakude is a notable step for TradeLocker's commercial function. Readers can follow further announcements from the company and compare its offering with other platforms before making any decisions about where to trade.