Grygo is the chief content officer for FTF & FTF News.
There is sad news out of Chicago as officials at futures brokerage and clearing firm R.J. O’Brien & Associates (RJO) report that a former chairman and CEO of the firm, John W. O’Brien, Sr., 68, died Saturday, July 9, after a long illness.
“We’re deeply saddened to lose Johnny, my dear friend, our long-time board member, former Chairman as well as CEO, and beloved member of the family that founded our firm and that remains majority owner to this day,” says Gerry Corcoran, current chairman and CEO of RJO, in a prepared statement.
“Johnny bravely fought his battle with cancer over the last four years. He was the architect of the RJO renaissance that began when he assumed the CEO position in the 1980s and laid the foundation for the global firm we are today. He was an inspirational leader who relished his role as a director and ensured that the O’Brien family’s values of treating clients with respect, doing business the right way and embracing employees like family were instilled throughout the organization. On a personal note, I will forever be grateful for his mentorship, friendship and confidence. All of us at RJO extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Pat, their four children, his four siblings and the entire O’Brien family,” Corcoran says.
O’Brien became CEO of RJO in 1986 and then chairman in 2000. His grandfather, John V. McCarthy, founded RJO in 1914. “He followed in the footsteps of his brother, Robert J. O’Brien, Jr., and his father, Robert J. O’Brien, Sr., in running the company,” according to the RJO statement.
Other futures industry groups have paid tribute to the former RJO executive.
John O’Brien, Sr.
“The futures industry lost a great leader … John spent his career championing the U.S. futures industry and was instrumental in expanding its reach to customers around the world. As someone who literally grew up in this business, he fostered a culture of treating all clients and employees as family — a legacy that continues within RJO today,” says Terry Duffy, chairman and CEO of the CME Group, in a statement. “John was a friend and mentor to many within the business and will be deeply missed.”
Walt Lukken, the president and CEO of Futures Industry Association (FIA), said via Twitter about O’Brien: “John was a pillar of the futures industry, leading RJO through a period of tremendous change and growth … Our thoughts are with the RJO family.”
RJO has noted a YouTube video from 2014 that celebrates the first 100 years of the firm.
The video includes commentary from John W. O’Brien, Sr., and others as it provides a history of the firm: https://www.rjobrien.com/about/historical-timeline/
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