Stephen Eckett read mathematics at London University and then joined Baring Securities on the Japanese equities and warrants desk. After setting up a futures operation for Barings in Hong Kong, he joined the capital markets division of Bankers Trust and organized the first listing of an index warrant in Asia. He then moved to Tokyo to set up a derivatives desk for S.G Warburg Securities. In 1993 he founded Numa Financial Systems Ltd, a training and systems consultancy company specialising in derivatives.