Jay Clayton

Jay Clayton was the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2017 to December 2020. Clayton focused on modernizing the regulation and oversight of our equity and fixed income markets, concentrating on the interests of long-term investors. In addition, under his leadership, the women and men of the SEC addressed various market developments and emerging risks, including the 2020 COVID-19 economic shock, the digitization of securities and other assets, the Brexit and LIBOR transitions, and various cybersecurity matters. Clayton was an active member of the Financial Stability Board, the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets.

Prior to Clayton’s government service, he spent over 20 years at Sullivan & Cromwell where he was a member of the management committee, co-managing partner of the General Practice Group and co-head of the Cybersecurity Group. He was a lead lawyer in an array of complex M&A and capital markets transactions, as well as regulatory and governance matters, in the financial, telecoms, energy, transportation and e-commerce sectors. Clayton also advised a number of individuals in connection with their public and private investments as well as transition matters.