Crypto hiring: Dfns lands former Gemini, Genesis execs

Circle has added a longtime Goldman Sachs executive as the stablecoin issuer’s newest board member

article-image

Cube29/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Dfns, a Web3 wallet infrastructure and security firm, landed a pair of former Genesis and Gemini executives this week. 

John Conneely, who previously headed Genesis’ institutional custody, was brought onto the Dfns roster under the title of vice president of business development and sales. Genesis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January.

Conneely also spent time at Bakkt as the company’s institutional custody head. Dfns’ goal with the hire, the company said in a statement, is to tap Conneely’s custodial know-how to build out new solutions and broker additional partnerships. 

And Dfns hired Noah Cornwell as chief technology officer. Cornwell was Gemini’s engineering vice president for a little over two years, departing in March 2023. 

Dfns said that Cornwell will be a major asset as the company develops wallet-as-as-service products B2B and B2B2C organizations. 

Circle rounding out board

As for Circle, the USDC issuer selected Craig Broderick to round out its board of directors.

Broderick has worked for Goldman Sachs for 38 years, 32 of which were in risk management roles. He oversaw the bank’s credit, market, liquidity, operational, model, counterparty and insurance risks. 

Circle CEO and co-founder Jeremy Allaire in a statement said Broderick will be a key member of the team as the company pursues its “regulatory-first business approach.”

Separately, Heath Tarbert started Saturday as Circle’s chief legal officer and head of corporate affairs. His hiring was made public just days after the SEC brought forward the regulator’s lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase.

Other notable hires

  • Industry collective Blockchain Australia appointed Simon Callaghan as the organization’s chief executive. He leads the Digital Assets Program at the University of Cambridge and has advised a number of blockchain initiatives and projects.
  • Jayson Hobby, a vice president of product at Compound Labs, said he’d been promoted to chief executive of the company.

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

🚀 Build What’s Next — Permissionless IV Hackathon Join us June 22–23 in Brooklyn for the Permissionless IV Hackathon — a 36-hour sprint hosted by Cracked Labs and Blockworks where top builders turn ideas into real products. Come to launch, not just […]

recent research

Research Report Templates (10).png

Research

Kamino has evolved into a full-stack asset scaling suite with V2: unlocking new markets, improving capital efficiency, and catering to various risk profiles. We believe it is best positioned to become the credit backbone of Solana as the ecosystem matures. Simply put, KMNO remains our highest-conviction bet in the Solana ecosystem. This report lays out our thesis.

article-image

Bybit’s Byreal, Binance Alpha and Coinbase’s DEX integrations

article-image

This isn’t the worst hack to ever hit Mt. Gox, but it could be the most entertaining

article-image

Crossover’s CEO discusses institutional interest and how over-the-counter (OTC) trading has picked up in crypto

article-image

Sponsored

This collaboration signifies a major leap forward in expanding the reach and utility of Web3 gaming within the vibrant Asian market

article-image

Asymmetric information is threatening crypto the same way it once threatened equities. Disclosure might be the fix.

article-image

Rate cuts drift into Q4 limbo as markets pretend everything’s fine