The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announced Monday that Judd Gregg, former senator and governor of New Hampshire, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and that Ken Bentsen, SIFMA acting president & CEO, is now president.
Chet Helck, SIFMA chairman and CEO of the Global Private Client Group at Raymond James Financial, said in a statement that "Judd's experience as both a governor and legislator will be of tremendous value to SIFMA in bridging the gap between the complexities of the financial markets and the positive impact our markets have on every community across America."
Gregg and Bentsen, "who has proven himself as an outstanding member of SIFMA's senior management," Helck continued, "are the right team to lead SIFMA in our important mission of ensuring trust in our financial markets, fostering an understanding of the important role efficient capital markets play in the life of every American working and living across the country and demonstrating the positive impact the financial services industry has on economic growth and job creation."
Gregg, who served three terms and was a ranking Republican member on three Senate committees — Appropriations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — said in the same statement that "it is an honor to join SIFMA as CEO. America's success and prosperity depends on a vibrant financial system providing access to capital and credit that helps people on Main Streets across America build on their dreams of opening a small business, saving to be able to send their children to college, buying their first home or saving for retirement."