Tom Gira, FINRA's Head of Market Regulation, Dies
“Tom was a beloved and devoted husband and father, as well as a tremendous leader," said FINRA CEO Robert Cook.
The financial services industry is mourning the passing of Thomas Gira, who served as Executive Vice President of Market Regulation and Transparency Services at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Gira, 58, died on Saturday. The reason was not disclosed.
“Tom was a beloved and devoted husband and father, as well as a tremendous leader, colleague and friend, and we are enormously heartbroken by his passing,” said FINRA CEO Robert Cook, in a Tuesday statement. “We extend our most sincere condolences to Tom’s family, who are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Before serving nearly three decades at FINRA, Gira was an associate general counsel of The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., and branch chief for Options and Derivative Products Regulation within the Division of Market Regulation at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“He was well known for his expertise in securities markets regulation, built over the course of his lifetime commitment to protecting investors and the integrity of markets,” said Cook. “Tom was also highly regarded for his integrity and thoughtful character, his gentle and soft-spoken demeanor, and his keen wit and genuine regard for everyone with whom he worked.”
Under Gira’s leadership, FINRA’s Market Regulation Department grew to conduct cross-market surveillance of all U.S. equities markets and nearly half of U.S. options markets. The department also performs trading compliance examinations of FINRA-registered firms and provides regulatory services to U.S. exchanges.
Gira most recently talked about market structure and “circuit breakers” in an April FINRA Unscripted podcast.