May 01, 2012
SEC appoints New York office chief as new enforcement deputy
George S. Canellos has been appointed the Securities Exchange
Commission’s (SEC) deputy director of the Division of the Enforcement after serving
as director of the agency’s New York regional office.
A former federal prosecutor, Canellos has been director of
the SEC’s New York office since July 2009, overseeing investigation,
prosecution, enforcement actions and compliance inspections for the largest
concentration of SEC-registered financial institutions in the US.
“For the past three years, George has been an incredibly
effective advocate for investors and has helped the New York office take on
some of the most difficult cases in the securities arena,” said SEC chairman
Mary Schapiro. “With his experience, he is extremely well-suited to help head
an Enforcement Division that has brought a record number of cases and is
pursuing a host of complex investigations.”
Canellos was an assistant US attorney in the Southern
District of New York from 1994 to 2003, serving in a number of positions,
including chief of the major crimes unit, senior trial counsel of the
Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, and deputy chief appellate
attorney. He will report to Robert S. Khuzami, director of the SEC’s enforcement division.
“Everyone interested in the fair, thoughtful and vigorous
enforcement of the federal securities laws will be thrilled with the
appointment of George Canellos as deputy director,” said Khuzami.
A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia University School
of Law, Canellos was a litigation partner at the law firm of Milbank, Tweed,
Hadley & McCloy LLP directly before joining the SEC.
Canellos starts his new role on 4 June. Andrew Calamari, senior
associate regional director and co-head of Enforcement for the New York regional office since 2004, will become acting director of New York.
Bruce Love
+44 (0)20 7397 3818
bruce.love@thetrade.ltd.uk