Susan Axelrod
Susan F. Axelrod is Chief Supervisory Officer (CSO) for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. As CSO, she oversees supervisory risk culture, driving shared accountability for end-to-end supervision at all levels of leadership. She also is a key leader in activities that focus on regulatory, financial and reputational risk. Susan serves as Executive Sponsor of The Inter-Generation Employee Network (IGEN). She is also a member of Bank of America’s Operating Committee, Merrill Lynch Wealth Managements’ Operating Committee, the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Conduct Council, the Global Financial Crimes Committee and the Women’s Exchange Advisory Council.
Before joining Merrill Lynch, Susan was Executive Vice President of Regulatory Operations at FINRA. In that capacity, she had responsibility for the Sales practice and Financial and Operational exam program, Enforcement, Fraud surveillance and Insider trading, the Office of the Whistleblower and the team that reviewed all filings made by broker dealers throughout the United States. She previously ran the Sales Practice exam program. Prior to that was Senior Vice President and Deputy of Regulatory Operations, where her responsibilities included assisting in the oversight of the Market Regulation, Enforcement and Member Regulation functions at FINRA. She also played a key role in the integration of NASD and NYSE Member Regulation.
Prior to joining FINRA in 2007, Susan was Chief of Staff to the CEO of NYSE Regulation for three years. In this position, her responsibilities included overseeing operations on a day-to-day basis and acting as a liaison with various business areas including finance, human resources, government relations and communications.
Susan joined the NYSE in 1989 as a Staff Attorney in the division of enforcement and became an Enforcement Director in 1997. Among the cases she handled were those involving specialist and floor broker misconduct, insider trading, upstairs trading, sales practice violations, and financial and operational compliance issues.