Mr. John H. Christopherson

John was born in Scarborough, England and was educated at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Canada and attended King Edward VII Nautical School, London England. At the age of 16 he became a Cadet Officer with Hains Steamship Company, London where he spent 18 months training to be a Deck Officer. He entered the R.A.F. (Royal Air Force) in 1951 and was on conscription for 2 years where he became a fighter pilot with the 56th Fighter Squadron. He married Marguerite in April 1954 and was married for 56 years. Together they had three children, Anne, Sue and Peter. Tragically, we lost Anne in 1965 at the early age of just 10. John and his family then moved from Long island NY to London England as his career in foreign exchange accelerated. As a result of the 41 years he has dedicated to the industry, John made many friends around the world. He began his banking career in Toronto at the age of 21 where he got his first job as a bank teller at the former Imperial Bank of Canada. After two years, the bank moved him into the FX trading division, “an area where nobody wanted to work” he said. Given his accuracy as a teller and his ability to count in pounds, shillings and pence distinguished him and that is how his career was launched. He has repaid the industry for that ‘lucky break’ through senior roles at ACI ( Association Cambiste International), the Financial Markets Association chapters in three countries, including the first to hold the role of President of the associations in Canada and the US. He worked in the NY office of Continental Bank and later as chief trader of Continental’s NY branch. During that time, he was elected as a committee member of the London Forex Club, a predecessor of ACI UK. He returned to Canada in 1972 with the Bank of Montreal as Senior Manager with global responsibilities. He then returned to NY in 1975 as senior vice president with United California Bank International. He then joined Chemical Bank as FX Manager. Subsequent to Chemical, he was with Bank of New York as FX manager. He then served as Treasurer and Senior Vice President of Commercial Bank of Kuwait NY and finally as Treasurer and FX manager of Banco Portugues do Atlantico, New York until his retirement in 1994. During his career, he served as an alternate member of the Federal Reserve FX Committee and later as a full member for three years. He was a member and Vice –Chairman of ACI’s Committee for Professionalism. John was an active member of Indian Harbor Yacht Club for over 30 years where he raced, attended the annual regattas, served on various executive committees and had many laughs at his weekly lunches with the Tuesday Lunch Bunch! His Moody 38 is called Cambiste, Italian for ‘trader’. John also renewed his private pilot’s license and flew small pleasure craft prior to his retirement in 1994. John was well liked and admired by all who knew him and his presence will be very much missed.