Jay Clayton was nominated to chair the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 20, 2017 by President Donald Trump and sworn in on May 4, 2017. Since joining the Commission, Chairman Clayton has focused on the long-term interests of America’s retail investors, a perspective he shares with the SEC staff. Chairman Clayton has made it a priority to increase the access of retail investors to a diverse range of investment opportunities and see that they continue to benefit from the protections of our securities laws.
Chairman Clayton has been outspoken on securities law issues related to distributed ledger technology, cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings.
Prior to joining the Commission, Chairman Clayton was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s Management Committee and co-head of the firm’s corporate practice.