With strong expertise in banking, treasury, capital markets, and regulatory affairs, O’Connor has over 30 years of leadership experience. While “Ripple is reshaping the financial landscape solving inefficiencies with today’s payments infrastructure using digital assets and blockchain technology,” Sandie O’Connor, JPMorgan Chase’s former chief regulatory affairs officer, has joined Ripple’s board of directors.
O’Connor recently retired as JPMorgan Chase’s Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer, where she developed the company’s holistic regulatory plan and led the dedication to change legislation with G-20 regulators and policymakers. O’Connor held several senior management roles at the company before this role, including Global Treasurer and Head of Prime Services, and served on several company-wide governance committees, including Risk and Finance. In 1988, O’Connor joined JPMorgan and employed growing importance within its Investment Bank and Corporate divisions throughout a 30-year career.
For the company’s next step, O’Connor will offer guidance on “government relations and regulatory initiatives” as Ripple grows and finds regulatory clarification in the United States, it added.
The announcement comes as Ripple, based in San Francisco, is publicly considering moving its headquarters to another country, citing a lack of such clarification, particularly on XRP’s legal status, the cryptocurrency it owns significant quantities of and has a strong hand in creating.
Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripples, is quoted saying that, “Sandie is extremely well-respected by her peers on Wall Street and the regulatory community alike.” “The U.S. needs a single clear regulatory framework for crypto that levels the playing field and supports American innovation and companies. Sandie’s experience and guidance will support us on our journey to building a more inclusive financial system.”
Whatever the company’s final judgment, O’Connor brings significant compliance and risk-management chops. She sat on several firm-wide governance boards, including those covering risk and money, during her tenure at JPMorgan. She joined JPMorgan in 1988 and “led engagement with G-20 regulators and policymakers” for the bank during her more than a three-decade-long career, Ripple said. According to her LinkedIn profile, she resigned from the institution in April 2019. O’Connor also remains on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Office of Financial Intelligence advisory boards; an official office set up within the Treasury Department to track economic risks during the global financial crisis of 2008.
Formerly a top lieutenant of JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, O’Connor also featured in the annual list of the most influential women in banking in the American Banker journal.
She will serve on Ripple’s board alongside former New York regulator Ben Lawsky, state BitLicense law architect, former ambassador Anja Manuel, and veterans of the financial services industry, Yoshitaka Kitao, and Craig Phillips, among others.
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