Stephen O’Connor is resigning from his position at Morgan Stanley to join the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc (ISDA) as a full-time Chairman.

With this new position, O’Connor will have a more  hands-on approach in driving ISDA’s strategic initiatives. The pace and scope of those initiatives continues to increase given global regulatory reform and the continued evolution of the financial markets and the OTC derivatives business. To address these needs, the decision was made to appoint a full-time chairman who could devote more time and energy to directing and leading the Association.

O’Connor joins ISDA full-time after serving as a member of its Board since 2008 and as the Chairman of the Board since April 2011.  During this time, O’Connor was a Managing Director for Morgan Stanley, which he joined in 1988.  During his 25-year career with Morgan Stanley, O’Connor held several senior positions in regulatory reform strategy, clearing, and counterparty risk management.

“ISDA’s mission, leadership and activities have never been more important in building safe, efficient markets for all users of derivatives,” said O’Connor. “I look forward to a more active role in working with ISDA CEO Bob Pickel and the ISDA team to address the important issues facing our markets.”