Verition hires Melanie Payne as commodities COO in London

Verition has appointed Melanie Payne as commodities chief operating officer based in London. Payne announced the appointment on LinkedIn. Neither Payne nor Verition provided additional comment.

Payne previously served as London chief operating officer at Roscommon Analytics. She spent about a decade working in commodities at Morgan Stanley and cites experience in building, scaling and managing operational functions. Industry reports indicate Roscommon closed its natural gas trading operation in January after losses at that desk.

Payne joins Verition as the multi-strategy hedge fund expands its commodities platform in London. Her operational remit will include day-to-day processes, risk controls and infrastructure for the London commodities business and will sit alongside the firm’s portfolio managers.

Verition’s commodities portfolio team includes Gareth Walsh, an oil trader who joined in June 2025, and Simon Boon, a former Glencore trader who arrived in December.

Recruitment specialists note that pairing dedicated portfolio managers with an experienced commodities COO may help develop systems and controls needed for a growing commodities operation.

The LinkedIn announcement is the only public confirmation of Payne’s appointment so far. Verition has not outlined how it will structure the commodities business under her oversight or whether further hires are planned.