Liquidity provider and trading firm MAS Group announced on Thursday that it has hired Simon Halliday as its new Key Partnerships Adviser, leveraging one of England rugby’s most celebrated centres to drive strategic alliances across all three divisions: MAS Markets, MAS Digital and MAS Fund.
“I am delighted to be joining MAS Group as Key Partnerships Adviser,” said Halliday. “It cannot have escaped people’s notice that this company is one of the fastest growing in the marketplace, as evidenced by the recent Business Leader Growth 500, where the company was ranked Number 32. Having worked for three decades in Financial Markets, mainly Investment Banking in the service of asset managers and corporates, I hope that my experience can be brought to bear in helping the growth of MAS in the world of institutional trading, liquidity solutions and funds management.”
Halliday enjoyed a decorated international rugby career—earning 23 England caps between 1986 and 1992, featuring in the 1991 Rugby World Cup Final and back-to-back Five Nations Grand Slams in 1991 and 1992. His blistering pace and sharp decision-making under pressure helped Bath RFC secure multiple domestic trophies before a stint at Harlequins, cementing his reputation as a world-class centre.
“Simon’s deep understanding of high-performance teamwork, forged at the very pinnacle of international rugby, makes him an ideal architect for MAS Group’s partnership ecosystem,” said Simon Blackledge, CEO of MAS Markets.
Off the rugby pitch, Halliday is an Oxford University alumnus—earning Blues in both rugby and cricket—and featured in nine first-class cricket matches, famously scoring 113 not out against Kent in 1982 for Oxford University. This blend of athletic versatility and academic rigour laid the foundation for his subsequent two-decade career in global finance.
In the City, Halliday held senior positions at Lehman Brothers, Nomura International and UBS, managing multi-million-dollar sales divisions and leading teams of over 50 professionals. He later chaired European Professional Club Rugby, oversaw major restructuring negotiations in English rugby, and serves as Patron for Cardiac Risk in the Young and formerly Help for Heroes, raising more than £3 million for charitable causes.