Jay Clayton: What Washing Machines Can Tell Us About America’s Economic Future
October 23, 2024
Much of the 2024 election has been extraordinary. One thing has not, and that’s the quality of the debate about America’s economic future. Beyond the…
Former Chair, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Attorney
As former Chairman of the SEC, Senior Policy Advisor at Sullivan & Cromwell, Chair of Apollo Global Management and Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Jay Clayton is at the forefront of many of today’s financial, regulatory and geopolitical discussions.
In his speeches, Mr. Clayton calls upon his extensive experience not only in governance, but also in finance and law to inform audiences on the state of our financial markets as well as government actions and functions, such as economic transfers, regulation and licensing, subsidies, security, and the performance of governmental bodies.
As Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Clayton focused on the interests of long-term investors and modernizing the function, regulation, and oversight of our equity and fixed income markets. These efforts included expanding investment opportunities for retail investors, increasing the standards of care required of brokers, and mandating more accessible fee disclosures. The Commission also processed disclosure filings and other administrative matters with increased efficiency and analytic rigor.
During Mr. Clayton’s tenure, the Division of Enforcement, again focusing on the interests of investors, obtained the highest (FY2020) and second highest (FY2019) financial remedies and, importantly, returned $3.5 billion to harmed investors. Mr. Clayton and his senior leadership team made diversity, inclusion, and opportunity a daily priority throughout the organization. These efforts included adoption of the Commission’s first Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan and an increased focus by the Commission’s Advisory Committees on diversity, inclusion, and opportunity in the financial industry.
Under Chair Clayton’s leadership, the women and men of the SEC worked with their fellow federal financial regulators to address various unanticipated market developments and emerging risks, including the 2020 COVID-19 economic shock, the “ICO” euphoria and the digitization of securities and other assets, the Brexit and LIBOR transitions, and cybersecurity matters. Mr. 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.
He also testified before Congress on over a dozen occasions, providing detailed, publicly available testimony on the activities of the Commission, regulatory initiatives, cybersecurity, and the state of financial markets.
Prior to Mr. Clayton’s government service, he spent over 20 years at Sullivan & Cromwell where he was a lead lawyer in an array of significant and complex M&A and capital markets transactions, as well as regulatory and governance matters, in the financial, telecoms, energy, transportation and e-commerce sectors.
Mr. Clayton also advised a number of individuals in connection with their public and private investments as well as succession and transition matters.
The team at WWSG is certainly at the top of the scale. Building a long-term relationship with the client has really set WWSG apart and we clearly saw that with our partnership. WWSG found creative ways to build the partnership which results in a win-win for all.
Erik Qualman, Top Technology and Motivational Speaker, #1 Bestselling Author & Futurist
I hope to work again and again with Worldwide Speakers Group on the selection of our keynote and endnote speakers for our annual conference and other events. Our representative and her associate were terrific from my first communication to them until our speaking-event concluded... It is easy to see why many of the top speakers in the country work with Worldwide Speakers Group.
The National Recreation and Park Association
All timing and logistics were seamless, and the client was super engaged and thankful. I’m happy to report that we have another WIN for WWSG! Let’s build on the momentum together!
Josh Linkner, Tech Entrepreneur, Hyper-Growth CEO, NYT Best-Selling Author, Venture Capitalist, and Keynote Speaker
We always enjoy working with WWSG, and we thank you and your team for your diligence, thoroughness, and professionalism. Planning is already underway for next year's event (no rest for the weary). We hope to have every opportunity to work with you again in the near future.
Texas American Resources Company
The WWSG team are super responsive and flexible. I will definitely work with them again to find speakers for my next event.
Ernst & Young LLP
They provide us well-prepared and informed speakers who understand our expectations and unique format. With WWSG, we know that the speaker fees are fair and trust that the event will be a success.
The Distinguished Speaker Series of Southern California
The consistent professionalism and quality for the way Worldwide Speakers Group handles events shows that they think of each detail and every contingency beforehand.
Newt Gingrich, Distinguished Leader, Visionary, & Political Vanguard; 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate; Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1995-1999); Best-Selling Author
Thanks again for all your help. Your entire team there is truly stellar.
American Property Casualty Insurance Association
“After 20 years in the lecture series business, WWSG has become a valued partner. We produce over 24 speaking events a year and have worked with dozens of agencies. We appreciate WWSG’s unparalleled professionalism, integrity, and creativity in suggesting speakers that are unique to the speaker circuit."
The Distinguished Speaker Series of Southern California
Everything was buttoned up, from the initial outreach to the event execution and post follow-up. I have a great team of representatives from WWSG to work with, first class experience.
American Century Investments