Title: Chief Executive Officer
Firm: IMTC
Age: 32
Russell Feldman was "hungry and eager" to make an impact on Wall Street — and he did just that by becoming CEO of a fixed income investment management technology firm that he helped spearhead.
Having been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 17, he spent more than 100 days in the hospital. That's when Russell's interest in the financial industry was sparked by his role model and bond salesman dad, Andrew, who spoke of the inefficiencies on Wall Street during their visits.
"I always looked up to my dad and was amazed by the amount of time he spent at the office," Russell said. "I became a lot more intimately aware of the challenges in fixed income when I joined the industry years later."
He said he earned his "master's degree" from the trading floor at Deutsche Bank, where he arrived after earning a bachelor's degree in business administration from George Washington University in finance and sports management.
He experienced the labor intensive, manual processes and lack of technology that his dad faced and was plaguing the fixed income industry, especially municipals.
After four years, he partnered with colleague Erik Zoega, co-founder of IMTC, a technology firm that automates fixed-income portfolio and order management processes with its cloud-based platform, catering to bond managers of separately managed accounts, traders, compliance officers, and more.
Russell was named CEO of the firm in April of 2022.
"There was a clear opportunity to innovate in the fixed income space and to add real value and it was the right time to capitalize on it," Russell said.
"There are many intelligent hard-working people, but you don't often find the combination of leadership skills, work ethic, integrity, and care for people combined with the entrepreneurial spirit focused on building a winning business and team than Russell has," said Bill Vulpis, a strategic advisor at IMTC, said.
"Russell's strategic vision, laser focus on execution, and authenticity in coaching a team all enabled him to become the CEO of a disruptive tech company before turning 35," agreed Zoega, president at IMTC, who nominated Russell.
Later this year, Russell is being honored with a Community Impact Award by the Quest for a Cure's Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. He encourages others to
When he's not strategizing on Wall Street, he can be found perfecting his golf game, as well as his guitar playing skills, which he taught himself during COVID. He currently lives in New York City and is planning to marry his fiancé, Jenna, in October 2023.
