DKF Awards

DKF Market Data Person of the Year 2026 is Franz Schrandt

The laudatory speech was held by Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer

The DKF Awards recognize outstanding achievements and innovative approaches in the financial information industry. Learn more about the individual award categories, the nominated companies and personalities, as well as the award winners who significantly contribute to the advancement of the industry through their work.

DKF Market Data of the Person:

Alexis Eisenhofer was thrilled to announce the DKF 2026 Market Data Person of the Year Award to a towering personality and an outstanding pillar of the market data community – Franz Schrandt. Franz has significantly shaped the financial data industry through innovation, integrity, and continuous reinvention

Over more than 25 years, Franz has been a driving force in the financial data industry. From pioneering early digital distribution through BIS Terminals and one of the Netherlands’ first financial data websites, to founding ShareCompany and most recently launching BIQH — a new-generation Enterprise Data Management company — his career is defined by an exceptional ability to anticipate change and act on it.

With BIQH, Franz has not only embraced the future of data governance and integration but has done so by empowering the next generation of market data professionals — ensuring his legacy extends well beyond his own experience.

And no tribute would be complete without noting that Franz is also the person who introduced bitterballen to the DKF wine tasting — a bold pairing that, much like his career, proved unexpectedly and enduringly successful.

We warmly congratulate Franz Schrandt on this well-deserved award.

DKF Ambassador Awards:

The DKF has been a combined effort of various stakeholders coming together over the last 16 years to make it an august congress that it is today. Evert-Jan ten Brundel, on behalf of DKF took a special moment to celebrate the long-standing contribution and partnership and hand-over the DKF Ambassador Award to two strong anchors of the DKF Platform – SIPUG & GIPUG.

Andre Meyer, accepting the award on behalf of SIPUG (Swiss Information Provider User Group), appreciated the longstanding support and relationship. SIPUG has been an unwavering advocate for its members — negotiating fair and transparent pricing with data vendors and exchanges, streamlining administrative processes, and fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing that keeps Swiss financial institutions at the forefront of the industry.

Thomas Stadtmüller, representing the GIPUG (German Information Provider User Group) exemplified GIPUG’s and his own commitment & leadership over the years, championing fair vendor relations, transparent data pricing, and best-practice sharing across the industry. GIPUG has been long tackling the most pressing challenges of the day — from data governance and MiFID II compliance to the evolving impact of AI on financial information.

SIPUG and GIPUG remain shining examples of how community driven advocacy empower financial institutions with knowledge, unity, and collective strength to navigate an increasingly complex market data landscape.

DKF Market Data Person of the Year 2025 is Marion Leslie

The laudatory speech was held by Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer

As part of the DKF Financial Information Congress 2025, the DKF Award – Market Data Person of the Year was once again presented. For the fourth time, the organizers financial.com and TRG Screen have honored an outstanding individual who exemplifies innovation, integrity, and inclusion in the financial information industry.

The 2025 award winner is: Marion Leslie

With over 25 years of international leadership in financial data, Marion Leslie currently leads SIX Financial Information. Under her leadership, SIX has strategically repositioned its portfolio and established itself as a pioneer in ESG and AI – notably through the acquisition of Orenda Software Solutions, a Canadian AI-based ESG analytics provider.

Marion stands for data quality, Swiss precision, and a forward-looking vision: “Trust First Infrastructure” as a beacon of reliability in times of digital uncertainty.

She also serves on the board of Advance, a leading Swiss initiative for gender equality and diversity – making her a strong voice for European values and inclusive leadership.

Congratulations to Marion Leslie on this well-deserved recognition.

DKF Market Data Person of the Year 2024 is Kees Brooimans

The laudatory speech was held by Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer

The “DKF Market Data Person of the Year” award for 2024 goes to Kees Brooimans, a pioneer in the market data industry. In his career spanning over four decades, Kees Brooimans has significantly shaped the landscape of market data solutions. From his early positions at Vam Lanschot and Datastream, through founding the Screen Group, to co-founding MDP4U, Kees has consistently demonstrated his ability to identify market opportunities and build successful companies. His tireless commitment to excellence and deep understanding of the market data ecosystem have made him a highly respected figure in the industry.

DKF Market Data Person of the Year 2023 is Christian Baha

The laudatory speech was held by Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer

Christian Baha founded his company TeleTrader in Vienna in 1993. However, he only gained widespread recognition through his hedge fund Superfund. With an outperformance of several hundred percent after the bursting of the New Economy bubble, it became a unicorn with a volume of 2 billion USD. This great success brought him worldwide fame and even an appearance in the Hollywood film ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ alongside Michael Douglas. His market data company was recently delisted from the stock exchange and now bears the name of its founder: baha.

DKF Market Data Person of the Year 2022 is Dr. Wolfgang Dietl

The laudatory speech was held by Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer

In 2001, Dr. Wolfgang Dietl established a market data unit called IDS Analysis and Reporting within Allianz to optimally evaluate their own portfolio and support portfolio managers in their search for alpha. The unit has grown to over 300 employees and has also gained a good reputation outside the parent company. Many competitors of the insurance company want to utilize the services of this market data unit at the very least. There is probably no provider in the market that does not supply data for the GenericProductName. They have integrated more than 50 data sources.

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