SEC Chief Risk Officer Gabriel Benincasa Joins Holland & Knight
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (October 14, 2021) – Holland & Knight announced today that Gabriel Benincasa has joined the firm from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where he served as the agency's inaugural Chief Risk Officer. Mr. Benincasa will be a partner in the firm's Northeast Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group, residing in the New York and Washington, D.C., offices.
As the SEC's first-ever Chief Risk Officer, Mr. Benincasa was responsible for developing the office's strategic plan and staffing. He implemented the commission's first enterprise risk management office, including its policies and procedures.
Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Benincasa led his own consulting practice advising on critical legal, compliance and risk matters. An accountant, lawyer, and risk and compliance specialist by training, Mr. Benincasa previously held senior-level positions with CIT Group, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and other companies in the financial services industry.
"Gabe's SEC experience – combined with his extensive knowledge of broker-dealer and investment advisor regulations and a variety of financial products, including fixed income, equities, derivatives and structured products – will be of great benefit to our clients," said Amy Leder, the co-head of Holland & Knight's Northeast Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group and executive partner of the New York office. "He also is a seasoned transactional lawyer, experienced in M&A, IPOs, insolvency, secondary trading, and AML, FCPA, SOX and Volcker compliance."
"Gabe brings deep knowledge of capital markets, regulation of broker-dealers and other financial regulation to our team," said Robert Grammig, leader of the firm's Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group. "He has a long history of helping companies revamp their compliance and risk structures while influencing corporate cultures to comply with heightened regulatory scrutiny."
"Holland & Knight's reputation as one of the top corporate law firms in the country and its deep bench of transactional, regulatory and SEC enforcement attorneys were major factors in my decision to join the firm," said Mr. Benincasa. "It has the perfect platform on which to build my practice, and I look forward to working with companies and individuals to successfully navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment, including in the areas of cryptocurrencies and ESG matters."
Mr. Benincasa received a J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law and a B.B.A. degree from Bernard M. Baruch College. He is also a certified public accountant.