Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham today announced Brian Young will serve as the agency’s Director of Enforcement. Young has been serving in an acting capacity since January 22, and previously was the Director of the Whistleblower Office. Young joined the CFTC in 2024 as the Director of the Whistleblower Office following nearly 20 years at the Department of Justice.

Former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) has joined big-data firm Palantir Technologies to develop its defense business, the company announced Thursday.     Denver-based Palantir has been rapidly expanding its remit with the DoD, notching notable wins in the Electronic Warfare and Sensing domains. "I believe that militaries that don't harness the power of advanced algorithmic warfare systems are basically unilaterally disarming," Gallagher told Defense One.  "It's like an army with only conventional weapons going against an enemy armed with tactical nukes."

Chief of the OFAC Licensing Division, Aydin M. Akgün has joined Ferrari & Associates in Washington, DC  as Director of Licensing & Compliance. During more than two decades at OFAC, Mr. Akgün worked on sanctions programs involving Iran, Belarus, Global Magnitsky, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. 

Carrie Esko, director for ICT services and digital trade at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), has left to join the Semiconductor Industry Association as director of global policy for trade and supply chain matters. At the USTR, Esko led digital trade negotiations within bilateral and regional trade initiatives. She also served in other roles at USTR, including director for APEC affairs, and director for industrial goods, where she worked on trade policy and negotiations involving critical minerals, metals, and related sectors with partner governments across Asia and globally.

Former Chief Counsel for the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Jason Prince joined Akin’s Washington office in April 2024.   The Export Practitioner caught up with him to see how he’s settling in.

China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday announced countermeasures against former U.S. lawmaker Mike Gallagher.   He will be banned from entry into China, and all types of property and assets of his in China will be frozen starting on May 21. Organizations and individuals within the territory of China are prohibited from engaging in relevant transactions, cooperation and other activities with Gallagher. If the sanctions are strictly enforced, those who transact with him, including individuals and institutions, could be affected.

Former Rep. Mike Gallagher is joining TitletownTech, a venture capital firm started by the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, as a senior strategic adviser following his early resignation from Congress.

Beleaguered Swedish telecoms maker Ericsson has shaken up its compliance operation once again, naming Becky Rohr, current head of investigations, head of compliance as well.  Jan Sprafke, appointed compliance chief six months ago, will be leaving the company.     Ms. Rohr was previously Vice President, Anti-Corruption and Global Trade, Ethics & Compliance Office at Hewlett Packard, and held numerous roles in civil and criminal fraud prosecution in the Justice Department.  She will keep her office in Washington, DC.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs “the Bureau” is accepting membership applications for the Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG). The Bureau is interested in applications from subject matter experts from the United States defense industry, relevant trade and labor associations, and academic and foundation personnel.

Akin Gump announced Opher Shweiki, former Commerce Department Chief Counsel for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), has joined as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office. Prior to his role at BIS, Shweiki was the National Security and Cybercrime Coordinator at the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, the most strident anti-communist to come out of Wisconsin's Fox River Valley since Sen. Joseph McCarthy, has had enough of the House of Representatives.    Mr. Gallagher told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he will leave Congress at the end of his current term to enter the private sector and spend more time with his young family.  

 Michael Vaccaro is the new permanent Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense Trade, responsible for The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC).

Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that Elizabeth “Liz” Cannon will serve as the first Executive Director of the Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) beginning on Monday, January 22, 2024. OICTS is charged with implementing a series of Executive Orders (EOs) under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) focused on protecting domestic information and communications systems from threats posed by foreign adversaries.

EP sat down with Chuck Schroeder of Textron Aviation to reflect on and discuss some the changes he's seen in his three-decade career in Aerospace Export Compliance. From the day I started my trade compliance career, I have enjoyed doing this type of work. Really, I mean it. Back in those days you did not get trained for a Trade/export compliance job, you were self-taught. There was nowhere to go for any type of formal operational training, so you just learned the scope of the regulatory world as part of the job. I have had what most may consider to be an incredibly good career. It has certainly been great and equally rewarding for me. I have been involved with super people, mentors, and programs, ranging from supporting NORAD, NATO F-16 deployment, then to Boeing and NASA, where I was involved with launching the shuttle for the International Space Station, and then to Seattle for the 787 and P-8 programs, and now the work in Wichita at Textron Aviation on our Business Jets, Prop aircraft, etc.  

The Bureau of Industry & Security published an advisory opinion on the release of licensed technology to employees of the foreign subsidiary while on temporary work assignment at the home office.  No additional deemed export license is required for these employees, while any new “technology” or “software” that is either “released” to those employees in the United States or created in the United States that is not authorized by the existing BIS license would require a new export license or other authorization from BIS.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced that Andrea Gacki has been appointed as the new Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Previously, Gacki served as the head of the …

Former senior London police officer, Nick Ephgrave, is set to lead the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The agency, known for investigating major business crimes, recently faced controversies and …

Gateway Recruiting released the results of its 2023 Trade Compliance Salary survey.  The survey shows that the demand for trade compliance professionals remains strong and the pool of qualified candidates remains limited.  This year, the data interestingly shows a rise in compensation within the U.S, while witnessing a drop across most of the rest of the globe. 

David Last, resigned as chief of the Justice Department’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unit. Assistant Chief David Fuhr, has assumed the role as Acting Chief.   Mr. Last had been with DOJ for 14 years and was involved with the FCPA Unit since 2016, beginning as a trial attorney and serving as an Assistant Chief and the Principal Assistant Chief. Mr. Fuhr was named assistant chief in October 2019, having previously served as a trial attorney in the FCPA Unit.