The Dubai Mercantile Exchange Limited (DME) has announced the appointment of Jackie Bullimore as Chief of Customer Relations at the DME. Located within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the DME brings global standards in commodity trading to its international customer and member base, from the world's premier hydrocarbon region.

Ms. Bullimore brings significant experience in marketing for leading energy and commodities trading organisations to her role at the DME. She has interfaced with industry leaders across key financial centres around the world, developing a unique insight in to these critical markets where the DME has a rapidly growing customer base.

Prior to joining the DME, Ms. Bullimore's experience included eight years at the International Petroleum Exchange, where she was most recently the Head of Oil Markets responsible for the development and implementation of international marketing strategies. Prior to working with IPE, she spent more than a decade working for BP, where she held a number of financial and marketing roles across the company's global operations.

In her new role at the DME, Ms. Bullimore will be responsible for managing the DME's relationships with over 70 blue-chip members and customers, including some of the world's leading financial institutions and energy trading firms. She will also work closely with the DME's business development team and industry leaders in the development of new products, ensuring the Exchange continues to meet the evolving requirements and risk management needs of its global customer base.

Commenting on the appointment, DME Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Leaver said: "Working closely with the industry and our customers has been a priority for the DME from the outset and has underpinned our great success to date. We are delighted to welcome Ms. Bullimore to the Exchange and are confident that her vast global and industry experience will allow us to continue to put the needs of our customers at the forefront as we continue to grow the Exchange. This is an exciting time at the DME as we enter our next phase of growth, and we are confident that we have put in place the right team with which to move forward and achieve even greater results."

The DME currently lists its flagship DME Oman Crude Oil Future Contract, the only physically delivered Middle East sour crude oil futures contract, which is increasingly seen as a global benchmark for the pricing of Middle East sour crude oil. In addition, the Exchange recently launched its DME Brent Crude Oil Financial Contract and the DME Oman Crude Oil Financial Contract. To date, more than 420 million barrels of crude oil have been traded on the Exchange, a figure that continues to grow in line with strong interest, demand and growing participation on the DME.