New CEO to Lead InspereX After Record 2024 Performance

InspereX, the tech-driven fixed income and structured products distribution and trading firm founded by Tom Ricketts, today announced Scott Mitchell has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He succeeds John DesPrez III, who is retiring after serving as the firm’s CEO since his appointment in January 2015.

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InspereX Appoints Scott Mitchell as Chief Executive Officer (Photo: Business Wire)

Mr. Mitchell joins InspereX after a 20-year career at J.P. Morgan, where he held progressively senior positions across Equity Derivatives and Cross-Asset Structured Investments Sales and Marketing. During Mr. Mitchell’s tenure, J.P. Morgan grew to be the No. 1-ranked client franchise in equity derivatives, according to analytics from Coalition Greenwich, and was named Equity Derivatives House of the Year in November 2023 by Risk Magazine, among other recognitions.

InspereX's CEO transition comes after a banner year in 2024, with the firm achieving record results across its fixed income and structured products offerings from issuers including major banks such as Goldman Sachs, U.S. Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), and corporate issuers such as Prudential, Ford, and Verizon. Furthermore, the firm exceeded more than $2 billion in sustainable finance underwriting for Calvert Impact Capital and InspereX’s Community Development Financial Institution issuer partners.

Tom Ricketts, founder and Chairman of InspereX, said: “It is my pleasure to congratulate our team on our 2024 results and to welcome Scott to InspereX to build on our momentum. Scott is a proven leader with extensive experience across asset classes. He will accelerate our growth by driving client service and expanding the value-added investment and technology solutions we provide to broker-dealers, institutional investors, financial advisors, and registered investment advisors, focused on helping investors achieve their objectives.”

Mr. Mitchell said: “I’m truly honored to be named Chief Executive Officer of InspereX. I’ve known and worked with the firm for many years, and I appreciate its team of highly respected professionals. InspereX is known for innovation in technology and diversified investment solutions that help investors manage risk and capture market opportunities. Given market uncertainty, with higher rates and rising equity market volatility, this is the ideal time for investors to seek the type of defined outcome solutions we offer. The way in which we help investors achieve their goals fueled the firm’s record performance last year and will continue to be the catalyst for our growth in the years to come. We look forward to introducing new solutions and deepening our long-standing customer relationships.”

Mr. Mitchell first joined J.P. Morgan in 2004 to co-head U.S. Third-Party Structured Investments Sales, launching the firm’s third-party distribution business, as well as its brokered CD platform. Mr. Mitchell was later promoted in 2006 to serve as sole head of the business. In 2011, Mr. Mitchell was appointed Managing Director and Head of J.P. Morgan Americas Structured Investments Distributor Marketing (SIDM). He was later promoted to Head of Americas Equity Derivatives Sales and SIDM in 2014 and then Co-Head of Global Equity Derivatives Sales and SIDM in 2019.

He led the build-out of J.P. Morgan’s SI 360 technology platform and also led the firm’s investment in the SIMON advisor technology platform. Mr. Mitchell served on the boards of SIMON and later iCapital after SIMON was sold to iCapital in 2022.

Before joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Mitchell worked in Equity Derivatives for CIBC Capital Markets in Toronto, London, and New York.

Mr. Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

About InspereX

InspereX was founded 25 years ago by Tom Ricketts, now our Chairman as well as the Executive Chairman of the Chicago Cubs. We pioneered delivering innovative, institutional-quality strategies and offerings to the retail market, and we’re now an industry leader in underwriting, marketing, and distributing a wide range of fixed income investments and structured products. Our ground-breaking investments, distribution, education, and technology have been recognized with dozens of awards. InspereX represents more than 400 issuing entities, distributes to more than 1,500 partners, and has distributed more than $800 billion in new issue securities. The firm has seven trading desks and more than 180 employees with offices in Delray Beach, Florida; San Francisco; Chicago; and New York City.

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