Isda opens Washington office in lobbying push

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, the New York-based trade association for the over-the-counter derivatives industry, is opening an office in Washington DC to increase its lobbying of the US government.

The move comes in the wake of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission’s attempts to legislate OTC energy derivatives.

“Opening a dedicated governmental advocacy office in Washington underscores Isda’s commitment to serving the needs of its members in this important seat of legislative and regulatory power,” said Isda chief executive Robert Pickel.

Isda has appointed John Anderson to the new office as head of public affairs. He was previously a senior policy adviser to Senator Mike Crapo (Idaho), where he managed legislative initiatives and served as a senior adviser on finance, trade and transportation. He has also worked on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, Isda has made three other new hires. Daniela Marilungo, who served as a junior director with the Italian Bankers’ Association (ABI) in Rome, has joined Isda’s Brussels office to take charge of its European regulatory and advocacy issues as a policy director.

Isda has also appointed Julian Day as a policy director in its European office. He was previously director of compliance training at CSFB in London, and had also managed the bank’s European OTC derivatives operations. He will focus on trading practice, as well as operational and documentation issues.

Finally, Johanna Schwab has joined Isda from AIG Trading Group, where she negotiated derivatives master agreements, as a policy director in New York. Isda said Schwab will focus on a number of policy areas, including energy, collateral and equity derivatives.