September 22, 2023 | Amanda Khatri
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Top 10 leading voices in financial services
CUBE’s data analysed the frequency of references across regulatory content to identify who is shaping the future of finance.
Methodology
All of CUBE’s RegInsight data was analysed over an eight-month period, from December 2022 to July 2023 to determine the top 10 voices in financial services. This includes analysing blogs, speeches, news, consultations, reports, press releases, policies, enforcement actions, bills, guidance, regulations and so on. The top 10 was identified by the number of times the speaker’s name had been referenced across regulatory content.
The top 10 most frequently mentioned speakers – individual profiles
5. Sheldon Mills
Sheldon Mills, Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the FCA
| Jurisdiction | EU |
| Current position with dates | Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the Financial Conduct Authority from December 2020 |
| Compliance focus areas | Supervision, policy, regulation, and competition |
| Issuing bodies | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) |
| Qualifications | Undergraduate and postgraduate law degrees from King’s College London |
| Notable previous positions | Senior Director at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and practiced law at King & Wood Mallesons and Jones Day |
| Interesting facts | His secondary school history teacher in Cardiff told Mills that “[you] will never go to King’s College, Sheldon.” So, Mills went to King’s College and became the second person from his school to go to university |
| Best quotes | “Equality is personal for me.” “The current economic climate means it’s more important than ever that consumers are able to make good financial decisions. The financial services industry needs to give people the support and information they need and put their customers first.” |
Key concepts
4. Christy Goldsmith Romero
Christy Goldsmith Romero, Commissioner of the CFTC
| Jurisdiction | North America, EU, South America |
| Current position with dates | Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from March 2022 |
| Compliance focus areas | Fraud, insider trading, money laundering, systemic risk |
| Issuing bodies | CFTC, SEC, International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Banco Central Do Brasil (BCB) |
| Qualifications | Qualified lawyer and graduate of Old Dominion University |
| Notable previous positions | Goldsmith Romero worked for the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from 2009 She was Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program from April 9, 2012, to March 2022 |
| Interesting facts | Since 2019, she has also been an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and University of Virginia Law School, teaching courses in securities regulation, cryptocurrency regulation, and federal oversight |
| Best quotes | “As our markets evolve with emerging issues like digital assets and climate, regulators must be thoughtful and deliberate. It is important to learn the facts, listen to all sides, understand the consequences of any action, and collaborate with other regulators.” “When it comes to cyber risk, there should be a complete consensus that there is only one direction to go—to strengthen resilience to cybercrime. There may be less consensus on how to strengthen resilience to climate risk. But I hope all can agree on the need to move towards a more climate-resilient market.” |
Key concepts
3. Ursula Von Der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, 13th President of the European Commission
| Jurisdiction | EU, North America |
| Current position with dates | President of the European Central Bank since 1 November 2019 |
| Compliance focus areas | Democracy, economic and monetary issues, environment, foreign affairs, public health |
| Issuing bodies | Borsa Italiana SpA, German Government, European Commission, European Parliament and Council, Financial Stability Oversight Council and Nasdaq Derivatives Markets |
| Qualifications | Between 1977-80, she studied Economics at the Universities of Göttingen and Münster as well as at the London School of Economics but never graduated. She graduated from Hannover Medical School in 1987 as a physician, specialising in women’s health |
| Notable previous positions | Served in the German Federal Government between 2005 and 2019 as the Minister of Defense, as the first woman to service |
| Interesting facts | Between 1977-80, she studied Economics at the Universities of Göttingen and Münster and the London School of Economics but never graduated. She graduated from Hannover Medical School in 1987 as a physician, specialising in women’s health |
| Best quotes | “Europe stands by those in need of protection. All those fleeing Putin’s bombs are welcome in Europe.” “I’m privileged because I can defend myself. Millions of women that are hurt every day, cannot.” |
Key concepts
2. Janet Yellen
Janet Yellen, 78th Secretary of the Treasury of the US
| Jurisdiction | North America, EU, Asia |
| Current position with dates | 78th Secretary of the Treasury of the US, sworn in on 26 January 2021 |
| Compliance focus areas | Economics |
| Issuing bodies | Appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Federal Board of Governors in 1994, three years later, Clinton named her Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers |
| Qualifications | Economics degree from Brown University and PhD from Yale |
| Notable previous positions | Nasdaq Derivatives Markets, Borse Stuttgart AG, Borsa Italiana Spa, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Financial Stability Oversight Council, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Nasdaq Stock Market, Risk Management Association (RSA), Department of Motor Vehicles, US Department of the Treasury and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China |
| Interesting facts | The first person in American history to lead the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department. The first woman to serve as the US Secretary of the Treasury under Biden’s administration |
| Best quotes | “Listening to others, especially those with whom we disagree, tests our own ideas and beliefs. It forces us to recognize, with humility, that we don’t have a monopoly on truth.” “The past few decades of widening inequality can be summed up as significant income and wealth gains for those at the very top and stagnant living standards for the majority.” |
Key concepts
1. Gary Gensler
Gary Gensler, Chair of the SEC
| Jurisdiction | North America |
| Current position with dates | Nominated by Joseph R. Biden to serve as the Chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 3 February 2021 and sworn into office on 17 April 2021 |
| Compliance focus areas | Enforcement, private funds, cyber issues, ESG, cryptocurrencies |
| Issuing bodies | The SEC |
| Qualifications | Undergraduate degree in economics in 1978 and MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 1979 |
| Notable previous positions | Served as chair of the CFTC under President Obama and was a partner in the mergers and acquisitions department and co-head of finance at Goldman Sachs |
| Interesting facts | Gensler was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Award, the US Treasury’s highest honour. He was also the senior advisor to the US Senator Paul Sarbanes in writing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) |
| Best quotes | “It’s the law; it’s not a choice. Calling yourself a DeFi platform is not an excuse to defy the securities laws. Right now, unfortunately, this market is rife with non-compliance.” “As machines take on pattern recognition, particularly when done at scale, this can create great efficiencies across the economy. In finance, there are potential benefits of greater financial inclusion and enhanced user experience.” |
The top 6-10 speakers in financial services
To view which players came 6th-10th place, please click here.
Looking ahead: Achieving financial services success
The financial services industry remains a dynamic and ever-changing landscape. As we look ahead, the role of influential leaders in the financial sector will be crucial in instilling trust, empowerment, and security among stakeholders.
The top 10 influencers play a vital role in shaping discussions around critical topics such as investments, cryptocurrencies, and banking. Their insights and perspectives can guide stakeholders in making informed decisions during a time of economic uncertainty. Further collaboration between regulatory bodies, financial institutions, and industry influencers will be essential in building a stronger and more resilient financial services sector.
The current sporadic economic landscape calls for a proactive approach to regulatory compliance, risk management, and strategic planning for success. Regulatory change management software emerges as a key tool for navigating the shifting regulatory landscape.
With the industry undergoing constant transformation, it is imperative for financial institutions to stay informed about emerging compliance obligations, understand their impact, and adapt their internal policies and strategies accordingly.
CUBE’s comprehensive source of regulatory intelligence, driven by cutting-edge technology and AI, provides the foundation for effective compliance management. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, CUBE empowers organisations to identify emerging regulations, build an always-current inventory, reduce risks, and ensure compliance and operational robustness.
The financial services industry stands at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Embracing regulatory change management and leveraging the insights of influential speakers are key steps in steering the industry towards a more stable future.
With CUBE’s comprehensive regulatory intelligence, financial institutions can navigate the uncertain times ahead and build a stronger foundation for growth and success.
About CUBE
CUBE is a SaaS-based RegTech designed to take the complexity out of regulation using artificial intelligence and automation to deliver Automated Regulatory Intelligence. Born out of the 2008 financial crisis, Founder and CEO, Ben Richmond, has led CUBE to become the world’s most comprehensive and robust source of classified and meaningful AI-driven regulatory intelligence. CUBE’s purpose-built regulatory AI engine (RegAI) and tech platform (RegPlatform) tracks, analyses, and monitors laws, rules, and regulations in every country and in every published language, creating an always current regulatory footprint.
In short, we track, capture, and monitor every regulatory change across the globe and make sense of it for our customers. Drawing on 10 years of experience, we have a mature data set which covers the length and breadth of global regulatory content. As displayed in this report, CUBE has a golden source of regulatory data, covering emerging regulatory topics as well as more traditional areas, from AML, data privacy to prudential and more.
This means that we make accurate inferences and intelligently link regulatory changes across different regulations and regulators, spot trends and make predictions rooted in data. This can all then be automatically mapped to our customers’ policies and controls, transforming visibility and compliance capability.
With operations across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, CUBE serves a diverse and global base of customers and partners including the largest financial institutions in the world who leverage CUBE’s RegPlatform to streamline their complex regulatory change management and compliance processes.
Whether you’re a large, multinational bank, or a small financial organisation with up to a handful of compliance officers, we’ve got a suite of products tailored to you.
