Eileen Murray, former co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates, will take the helm in August as chairwoman of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
FINRA's board of governors unanimously elected Ms. Murray, who stepped down from her role at Bridgewater earlier this year, to the position, which is effective at FINRA's annual meeting in August, the agency said Tuesday.
Ms. Murray has served on FINRA's board since 2016 and succeeds William H. Heyman, who was elected chairman in 2017 and is finishing his three-year term.
"I am honored by the opportunity to lead the FINRA board at such an important time for FINRA, the financial services industry and the markets," Ms. Murray said in a news release. "Under Bill's leadership, FINRA has worked tirelessly to ensure that markets operated under the highest standards of integrity for investors and I look forward to building on that effort."
Robert. W. Cook, president and CEO of FINRA, thanked Mr. Heyman for his contributions and said in the news release that Ms. Murray's "extensive senior leadership, operational, technology and regulatory experience make her an ideal choice to chair our organization and help us continue to achieve our vital mission."
Ms. Murray was named co-CEO of Bridgewater in 2011, after joining the firm in 2009. Previously, she held positions at Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and Duff Capital Advisors, FINRA noted.
"The chairperson of FINRA's board must have a proven track record of leading complex organizations, and above all must have an unwavering commitment to investor protection and market integrity," said board member Kathleen Murphy, who chairs FINRA's nominating and governance committee, in the news release. "In conducting our search for Bill's successor, it was clear that Eileen exceeds all of these qualifications and more."
Also, Maureen Jensen, former chair and CEO of the Ontario Securities Commission, and Eric Noll, CEO of Context Capital Partners, were appointed to the FINRA board as public governors, effective at the August meeting.
