MAS Markets Names Former ATFX Australia Head for APAC

MAS Markets Appoints Former ATFX Australia Head Simon Naish to Lead APAC

MAS Markets has appointed Simon Naish as head of Asia-Pacific. The London-based liquidity provider said he took up the role in October and will be based in Sydney, where he'll lead its efforts to grow its institutional client business.

Naish replaces Harry Fry, who led the region for nearly four years before joining Edgewater Markets as managing director for Australia on October 1.

MAS provides margin liquidity in foreign exchange, commodities, metals, and indices to brokers, hedge funds, and family offices. The company reported that its 2025 turnover nearly doubled to £6.13 million.

Naish is the second former ATFX executive MAS has hired this year. In June, the company named Matt Porter, previously head of operations for ATFX's UK institutional desk, as its head of operations.

Naish's Career in Foreign Exchange

Naish spent 33 years at National Australia Bank (NAB). He began as an FX trader in London in 1987 and later led the bank's foreign exchange business in Asia-Pacific, according to his LinkedIn profile.

After leaving NAB in 2020, he worked as a consultant for a year before joining market maker Velocity Trade to lead FX business development. In November 2023, he became ATFX's country head in Sydney, several months after ATFX acquired Rakuten Securities Australia.

"There's a genuine appetite in APAC for what we're offering," Naish said in a statement. MAS said he'll work with the group's senior leadership on regional sales and team growth.

MAS Continues Its Regional Expansion

Fry built the Sydney team during his time at MAS. In March 2025, he hired former CMC Markets institutional sales executive Olivia Zhang as the region's head of sales.

MAS founder and CEO Simon Blackledge said Naish would lead the company through "this critical phase of our regional expansion." Fry joined the company in 2022, when it still operated under the BidX Markets name.

In July, MAS Group acquired a stake in spot FX market maker Solid as the first step toward a full takeover. The move reversed a 2022 deal in which Solid acquired a 9.9% stake in MAS.

Blackledge continues to own more than 75% of MAS. The firm is authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and operates its infrastructure from the LD4 and TY3 data centers.