Crypto Hiring: Coinbase, 21Shares make key appointments

Coinbase’s former chief architect returned to the crypto exchange as its head of platform. 

Rob Witoff led the company’s security and infrastructure from 2014 to 2017 before creating cold storage company Unit 410, Coinbase Chief Operating Officer Emilie Choi wrote in a Dec. 2 blog post. He became the company’s newest executive team member this week. 

“Rob embodies what it is to be a builder,” Choi wrote. “He cares deeply about crypto, developer productivity and empowerment, and creating a seamless user experience.”

21.co also made an executive appointment — multiple in fact.  

The crypto-focused firm revealed it would have two distinct business units: 21Shares and 21.co Technologies. As part of that change, the company said Russell Barlow would take over as 21Shares’ CEO. 

Read more: Crypto Hiring: Former BlackRock leader jumps ship to 21Shares

Overseeing the asset management and ETP business, Barlow will report to Hany Rashwan and Ophelia Snyder — 21.co co-founders who are now 21Shares co-chairs.

Barlow is the former global head of alternative and multi-asset investments at UK investment giant abrdn. Also ex-executives at abrdn are Duncan Moir and Edel Bashir, who were tapped to be 21Shares’ president and COO, respectively. 

Finally, Andres Valencia — with 21Shares since 2021 — is now its executive vice president of investment management.  

Also this week, Chainalysis said Jonathan Levin, the company’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, would now take on the chief executive role. 

Read more: Crypto Hiring: Chainalysis enlists high-level IRS veteran

“As CEO, I look forward to continuing to deliver cutting edge data, investigations and risk solutions to our customers while also pursuing new market opportunities,” Levin said in a statement. 

Then there was Meanwhile, a life insurance company denominated in bitcoin, which appointed a chief compliance officer. Alice Tregunna is set to fill that position after working as the compliance and financial crime lead at EY.

Finally,  Solana Foundation strategy head Austin Federa said he would depart the nonprofit to create DoubleZero, a network of fiber and subsea cables meant to establish a “new internet.”

In case you missed it:

• If you didn’t see during Thanksgiving week, payments platform xMoney Global appointed Dr. Greg Siourounis, a former managing director at Sui Foundation, as its CEO.
• Sol Strategies last month added crypto investor Anthony Pompliano as an adviser. The publicly traded Canadian company focused on the Solana ecosystem then, on Thursday, submitted its application to list on the Nasdaq.
• Also as November wrapped up, Philipp Wassibauer joined CrunchDAO as its chief technology officer. He was most recently working as director of engineering at Dune Analytics.

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