About Franco Destro
Franco Destro is an international financial regulation expert with more than 20 years of experience as a securities regulator, global compliance executive, and corporate governance advisor. As International Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Franco represented the SEC at IOSCO and the Financial Stability Board, chaired supervisory colleges for international information exchange, negotiated multilateral agreements, and advised senior management on cross-border enforcement and regulatory cooperation. He managed the U.S. side of equivalence assessments conducted by foreign authorities. As Global Chief Compliance Officer at London Stock Exchange Group (Information Services Division), Franco advised the CEO and Chair of the FTSE Russell Board on regulatory strategy and risk. He designed and built the division’s first compliance function, growing the team from 5 to 20 professionals across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia. He executed Brexit regulatory strategies with ESMA, the Dutch AFM, and Italian CONSOB. Franco founded Ethical Investor Services in 2023 to advise financial market regulators and serve on boards of organizations navigating complex regulatory environments.
Areas of Expertise
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• International Securities Regulation: Direct experience with CARICOM jurisdictions, SEC, FCA, ESMA, CONSOB, AFM, and emerging market regulators; IOSCO and FSB representation; cross-border enforcement cooperation • Corporate Governance & Board Advisory: Board-level advisory at FTSE 100 company; compliance committee expertise; executive committee membership; governance of regulated entities • Regulatory Framework Design: Digital assets legislation; OTC products regulation; capital markets development; international standards implementation (IOSCO, OECD, FATF) • Compliance Program Development: Built compliance functions from inception; designed regulatory risk frameworks; implemented conduct monitoring programs across multiple jurisdictions • Organizational Development: Supervisory authority capacity building; training program design; regulatory simplification strategies; change management for regulated entities • Emerging Issues: Digital assets and tokenization; AI governance; operational resilience; ESG regulation; data governance and privacy.
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Career Highlights
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Ethical Investor Services LLC, Principal (2023-Present) Advises developing market regulators on international standards implementation, regulatory framework design, and organizational development. Serves as independent governance advisor. • Christofferson, Robb & Company, Global Chief Compliance Officer (2022) Led compliance program for global alternative asset manager across US, UK, EU, and Japan. Executive committee member. • London Stock Exchange Group, Global CCO – Information Services Division (2018-2021) Advisor to CEO and FTSE Board Chair. Built compliance function from 5 to 20 staff. Executed Brexit licensing. Senior member, Financial Crimes Determination Committee. Executive sponsor, LGBTQ+ network. • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, International Counsel (2013-2018) Represented SEC at IOSCO and Financial Stability Board. Chaired supervisory colleges. Negotiated multilateral agreements. Managed equivalence assessments. Member, Cyber Security Working Forum. • Moody’s Corporation, VP Global Strategy and Regulatory Affairs (2009-2013) Designed first regulatory risk assessment framework. Led Latin America regulatory strategy. Cultivated relationships with securities and banking regulators across Americas and Europe. • Prior: Senior Associate and Associate roles at Weil Gotshal, Mayer Brown, Orrick, and Simpson Thacher (2001-2009), focused on structured finance, M&A, and capital markets.
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Education & Credentials
• LL.M., Columbia Law School, New York • J.D., University of Padova, Italy • M.S., International Affairs, Institute for Diplomatic Studies, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Visiting Scholar, University of Strasbourg Robert Schuman, France • Bar Admission: New York State • Council on Foreign Relations, Term Member Fellow • European Parliament Internship, Strasbourg and Brussels • Languages: English (native), Italian (native), French (fluent), Spanish (conversational)