Chamber Hires Michael Ryan to Lead Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness

Will Direct Multifaceted Effort to Improve U.S. Capital Markets

WASHINGTON, DC-The U.S. Chamber of Commerce tapped Michael Ryan as senior vice president and executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness (CCMC), an initiative dedicated to making U.S. capital markets the most fair, efficient, transparent, and attractive in the world.

"Ryan is a proven leader in managing the day to day operations of our markets. His background as an attorney, accountant, and official in both the public and private sectors which manage and oversee the markets make him the perfect complement to the Center," said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue. "He has the ability to provide thoughtful consideration on how we can work to improve our capital markets and encourage sound investment practices."

Ryan joins the staff of the Chamber's Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, which includes David Hirschmann, president, Amanda Engstrom, vice president, Andrew Persson, senior managing director, and Whitney Crawford, project manager. The Center will advance a legislative, regulatory, and legal agenda designed to bolster investor confidence, and encourage investment in the U.S. capital markets.

For the past year, Ryan has served as Executive Director of the Chamber's Commission on the Regulation of U.S. Capital Markets in the 21st Century. Previously, Ryan was executive vice president and general counsel of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). Before joining the AMEX in November 1998, Ryan served as counsel to the chairman of the National Association of Securities Dealers and was a senior attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to law school, Ryan was a senior accountant with Price Waterhouse.

The Center will begin work by aggressively implementing key recommendations from three major reports examining capital markets competitiveness produced by the Chamber's bipartisan, independent Commission on the Regulation of U.S. Capital Markets in the 21st Century, the Hal Scott committee, and the Schumer-Bloomberg initiative.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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