IG Group chief June Felix steps down with immediate effect

(Reuters) - British online trading platform IG Group said on Tuesday CEO June Felix will step down immediately due to health reasons.

Felix was on medical leave since early July, during which finance chief Charlie Rozes was the acting CEO.

Rozes will continue in the role, while the board expects to appoint a permanent CEO in the coming months, the company said.

American national Felix, 66, has led the spread betting firm for almost five years. During her tenure, IG Group recorded for the first time an annual revenue of 1 billion pounds ($1.26 billion) last financial year.

Under Felix's leadership, the company also ventured into North America with its purchase of U.S. trading platform tastytrade for $1 billion in 2021, as part of her diversification strategy.

Shares in IG Group have gained nearly 15% in value since she took over in October 2018.

"During her tenure as CEO the company has successfully pursued a strategy to diversify the business while at the same time strengthening its core OTC business resulting in a doubling of the Group's revenue and profit over the period," Chairman Mike McTighe said in a statement.

($1 = 0.7919 pounds)

(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)