Susan Axelrod Named FINRA’s Executive Vice President of Regulatory Operations

WASHINGTON — The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that Susan Axelrod will become FINRA's Executive Vice President of Regulatory Operations. In this role, Axelrod will oversee Enforcement, the Office of Fraud Detection and Market Intelligence and Member Regulation (Sales Practice, Risk Oversight and Operational Regulation and Shared Services). Axelrod previously was the head of FINRA's Member Regulation Sales Practice area. Mike Rufino, Chief Operating Officer of Member Regulation – Sales Practice, will assume the role of acting head of the Sales Practice group.

Axelrod will report directly to FINRA's Chairman & CEO, Richard Ketchum. "Susan has dedicated her entire career to making sure investors are treated fairly. Her tremendous expertise across a wide range of FINRA's regulatory programs will support FINRA's critical mission to protect investors and ensure market integrity. The synergies among the departments Susan will be heading lend themselves to a single reporting relationship, and Susan's passion for protecting investors and unparalleled commitment to achieving results will stand American investors in good stead," said Richard Ketchum.

Axelrod brings deep and wide-ranging knowledge of securities regulation to her new position. Before becoming head of Member Regulation Sales Practice, Axelrod was Senior Vice President and Deputy of Regulatory Operations, where she assisted in the oversight of Market Regulation, Enforcement and Member Regulation. Prior to joining FINRA in 2007, Axelrod was Chief of Staff to the CEO of NYSE Regulation. Axelrod began her career at NYSE in 1989 as a Staff Attorney in the division of enforcement and became an Enforcement Director in 1997.

Axelrod received her law degree from the Hofstra University School of Law in 1989 and her bachelor's degree from Emory University in 1986.

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. FINRA is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business – from registering and educating all industry participants to examining securities firms, writing rules, enforcing those rules and the federal securities laws, informing and educating the investing public, providing trade reporting and other industry utilities, and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and firms. For more information, please visit www.finra.org.