Market Regulation Services Inc. says the trade desk compliance team at the RS Toronto office is now at full strength after attracting a new manager back to the company and hiring experienced trading and compliance talent from the Street.

The Toronto team conducts annual audits of broker/dealer trade desk operations in the Eastern Region.

In mid-April, Ron Vallière returned to RS to take up the reins as the manager, trade desk compliance in the Eastern Region. His 11 years of trading and compliance experience includes a two-year stint with the institutional compliance department at RBC Capital Markets in Toronto, two years as a trade desk compliance officer at RS, and seven years as a buy-side trader during which he rose to the position of head trader at Merrill Lynch Investment Management.

In other appointments, Kuno Tucker is joined the trade desk compliance team in mid-April after spending nearly three years as an RS surveillance officer. He also has five years trading experience at E*Trade working as trader and trading supervisor.

Naresh Tejpal also brings an extensive knowledge of trading to the team. He joined RS on April 25 from Wellington West Capital where he was an agency trader. Naresh also worked as an associate directory trader in charge of Scotia Capital’s institutional option trading desk.

Nick Thompson is the newest team member after joining RS this month. Nick comes to RS from BMO Nesbitt Burns where he worked for five years as a retail trading supervisor.

“I am very pleased with the talents and skill sets the entire team brings to RS,” said Maureen Jensen, vp, market regulation, Eastern Region. “We have a high level of trading and compliance experience in the new team that ensures that RS maintains its focus on compliance in the Canadian equity market.”

RS conducts regular trade desk audits of broker/dealers to evaluate their compliance with the Universal Market Integrity Rules, the common set of trading rules for all Canadian equity marketplaces. The trade desk review program encompasses a range of testing for technical requirements and market integrity issues, such as the adequacy of compliance and trading supervision systems and the policies and procedures at the firms. The program complements and supports RS’s supervision and investigations operations.