What we do
We are a values-driven proprietary trading company.
We trade a range of financial products across different markets, combining our in-house technology with expert trading skills.
Our co-operative and collaborative business model creates an environment where every employee is expected to act as if they were a business owner. Everyone’s contribution is considered and valued, whether they are a trader, a developer or in Operations.
Leadership Team
James Coventry,
Chief Executive Officer
James completed his degree in theoretical physics at Manchester University before beginning his trading career in London in 2003.
Adrian Swain,
Chief Technology Officer
Adrian studied mathematics at the University of Oxford and has worked in the financial technology sector for nearly 30 years, previously at Goldman Sachs and Tibra.
Peter Coventry,
Chief Operating Officer
Peter has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Oxford University. He spent 15 years managing development projects around the globe, and has worked in proprietary trading since 2015.
Jaroslaw Lefek,
Head of Life Trading London
Jarek has postgraduate degrees in finance and mathematical economics.
Trading
Our Trading teams are focused on building a diversified portfolio of high-performing trading strategies.
We support our traders so they can achieve their goals and maximise their success. They can expect autonomy and transparency on costs, profit figures and bonuses.
We are keen to talk to talented people who can develop a strategy that complements our portfolio, whether they operate independently or as a team. Our skilled developers, custom-built software, comprehensive tech stack, ultra-low latency infrastructure and leading market access enable traders to excel. Sharing of cross-product team know-how builds a collaborative culture, fostering learning and contributing to our collective success.
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‘I’ve been at other prop firms and investment banks over my career and can confidently say the experience of working at a place like Life Trading, in comparison, stands out like night and day. Here at Life, you are treated like a business owner who is given the freedom, trust and autonomy to get the most out of your trading desk, the way you know how to. The management team provides exceptional support without micromanaging, trusting their employees to do the job they were hired for. When you add in the quality of the tech team, this is a breath of fresh air; but where I believe the company really excels, is in the application of its core values. Life is a place where they actually do what they say and say what they mean. No more stressing about bonuses or wondering where costs are coming from – transparency and honouring your word are two things held in high regard at Life, which in my experience are sorely lacking at other places within this industry.’
Sam Wagner, Head of Electricity Trading
Technology
Our Technology teams work closely with the traders to build systems that maximise the output of trading strategies.
As with all our teams, we look for people who share the Life Trading values. We consistently attract the most gifted and highly productive developers, quantitative analysts, and infrastructure specialists. Our tech people work on cutting edge software development, infrastructure, data, and Rapid Prototyping (FAST) projects, among many others.
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‘Here at Life Trading I have the autonomy to work on solving problems how I see fit. I’m trusted to come up with the right solutions and I appreciate that freedom. It helps that we’re using the latest versions of programming languages such as Python and C++(20). For me, a big benefit of a business this size is that your work goes into production quickly, so it’s rewarding to see the effects of releases in real time.’
Adam May, Senior Software Engineer
Operations
Our Operations team is the internal engine powering our business needs, helping the company grow and ensuring it runs efficiently. Ops is at the heart of the business. Its remit is to maintain our values-driven culture, manage external relationships and provide internal support in HR, finance, market access, risk, compliance and legal.
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‘I used to be a trader before moving into Operations, so I understand clearing, risk and market access. It makes it easier to do my job, which is really to enable the traders to flourish. A big part of what I do involves risk and compliance protocols, so I think the traders appreciate the fact that I’ve been in their shoes. They know I see their perspective and understand their needs. I really enjoy working here because of the team culture. It feels like everyone is pulling in the same direction.’
