Morningstar Appoints Two Technology Executives; Expands Headquarters Space to Accommodate Growing Team

CHICAGO, Oct. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. MORN, a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced the appointment of Mitch Shue to chief technology officer and James Rhodes to chief data officer. The company has also expanded its global headquarters in Chicago with the addition of more than 29,000 square feet of space designed for its technology employees.

As chief technology officer, Shue is responsible for Morningstar's long-term technology vision and execution. He joined Morningstar in 2014 through the company's acquisition of HelloWallet, where he served as chief technology officer. Prior to HelloWallet, Shue was vice president of engineering at Centrifuge Systems, developing interactive data visualization solutions. He previously led the graphic design, engineering, and data center teams at webs.com and served as vice president of product development at webMethods.

Rhodes oversees data operations at Morningstar, focusing on the company's data technology strategy, including data collection, processing, and storage. He previously served as chief technology officer and partner at Rocaton Investment Advisors, LLC, where he drove the company's technical vision and oversaw the software engineering team. Rhodes also spent 13 years at IBM Research, where he led the financial modeling research efforts of IBM's Global Services business units.

"Mitch's and James' appointments to Morningstar's leadership team help strengthen our commitment to technology, one of our core competencies," Kunal Kapoor, Morningstar's president, said. "Their expertise will prove invaluable as global demand for our independent research and data continues to increase in light of evolving regulations and industry standards. We're committed to continuous technological innovation to best help investors reach their financial goals."

The company recently expanded its headquarters office space with an additional floor of the 22 W. Washington St. building in Chicago. Morningstar's offices around the world have an open floor plan and modern layout that reflects the company's culture of transparency and collaboration. For the fifth consecutive year, Morningstar was named to Built In Chicago's Top 100 Digital Companies in Chicago, which ranks digital technology employers based on local, full-time employee count. The new floor accommodates approximately 185 employees and is designed for the working needs of Morningstar's engineers, user experience designers, and product management teams. Features include mobile workstations for Agile software development, integrated audio/visual elements throughout the space, and dedicated stand-up and casual meeting areas.

"The thoughtful design is in line with our deliberate focus on the user as the center of our product development," Kapoor said. "The new space conveys Morningstar's spirit of creativity and transparency, as well as the attention to detail and design that distinguishes our products."

Morningstar plans to host its inaugural FinTech Forum in its newly designed space on Nov. 10 from 5-8 p.m. CT, bringing together thought leaders in financial technology and Big Data for a panel discussion about challenges and opportunities in the industry. Register here to attend the event at Morningstar's headquarters in Chicago or follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #MstarFintech. Proceeds from the event will benefit iMentor Chicago, a nonprofit organization that builds mentoring relationships to empower first-generation students from low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions.  

About Morningstar, Inc. 
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on nearly 540,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on approximately 18.5 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $200 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2016. The company has operations in 27 countries.

©2016 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

MORN-C

Media Contacts: 
Nadine Youssef, +1 312 696-6601 or nadine.youssef@morningstar.com  
Sarah Pellegrino, +1 312 244-7358 or sarah.pellegrino@morningstar.com  

The newest floor at Morningstar's Chicago headquarters is geared toward its technology employees and accommodates approximately 185 seats. Photo Credit: Steve Hall(C)Hedrich Blessing.

 

Morningstar logo (PRNewsFoto/Morningstar Research Inc.)

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161030/434089

Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160301/339380LOGO

 

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.

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