Paul Andrews has been appointed as secretary general of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), succeeding David Wright, who has been with IOSCO since 2012.
Andrews is currently vice president and international managing director at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), where he has served for 17 years. He will take up his new position in March 2016 for a three-year renewable term.
At FINRA, Andrews has established relationships with regulatory bodies outside of the US in order to improve international cooperation. Before this, he worked at the US Securities and Exchange commission for eight years, including roles in the division of market regulation and the office of the general counsel.
Andrews already represents FINRA at IOSCO, sitting on the regulatory advisory committee of the Affiliate Members Consultative Committee (AMCC). He is also chair of the AMCC task force on risk.
In addition, Andrews is chair of the International Forum for Investor Education – a global organisation for improving investor education across jurisdictions.
In his new role, Andrews intends to focus on strengthening IOSCO’s position as a setter of standards for international capital markets; forging better relationships with other regulators and supporting those in emerging markets; and engaging regulators to exchange information and seek global solutions to common issues.
IOSCO chair of the board Greg Medcraft said: “On behalf of the board I look forward to working closely with Andrews in achieving our goal of reinforcing IOSCO’s role as key global reference point for securities regulation and implementing our 2020 strategy.”
Wright added: “I wish Andrews every success in his new function as secretary general of IOSCO. He is an excellent choice to take IOSCO forward over the next years.”
