Finra regulation chief Susan Axelrod to leave

Susan F. Axelrod, who spent 28 years at Finra and its predecessor, NYSE Regulation, said she will step down as the group's executive vice president for regulatory operations on Jan. 5, 2018. Ms. Axelrod, who has been responsible for leading the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.'s member regulation program and its office of fraud detection and market intelligence, enforcement and shared services, will then become a senior adviser to Finra CEO Robert Cook through the end of April. In a release, Finra said she is leaving to pursue "other opportunities in the private sector." In her role at Finra, Ms. Axelrod has directed a regulatory staff of more than 1,400 people in 14 offices. Her staff conducts examinations and investigations of Finra member firms, reviews cases of potential fraud and insider trading, prosecutes firms and salespersons engaged in misconduct, and seeks restitution for harmed investors.

(Finra's Susan Axelrod: Finding a job you love is what matters) Prior to joining Finra in 2007, Ms. Axelrod was chief of staff to the CEO of NYSE Regulation, where she began her career in 1989 as a staff attorney.