Veteran Fintech Attorney Takes Global General Counsel Spot

Portfolio Media. Inc. | 111 West 19th Street, 5th floor | New York, NY 10011 | www.law360.com Phone: +1 646 783 7100 | Fax: +1 646 783 7161 | customerservice@law360.com

Veteran Fintech Attorney Takes Global GC Spot At GPS Capital

By Aaron West

Law360 (July 3, 2023, 3:35 PM EDT) — Foreign exchange service firm GPS Capital Markets, LLC has announced that it hired a global general counsel as the company grows internationally and expands its legal team.

Alice Abbott, who joins Toronto-based GPS from her position most recently as chief legal officer and chief compliance officer at cryptocurrency company Fabriik/Round Rock, takes on the new role as GPS expands internationally. In her new position, Abbott will establish a legal department and oversee the company’s legal matters as it continues to widen its international presence, the firm said in an announcement on Friday.

GPS CEO Brandon Parke said in the company statement that bringing Abbott on board is indicative of the company’s larger international reach.

“I am thrilled to welcome Alice Abbott as our new global general counsel,” GPS Capital Markets CEO Brandon Parke said in the statement. “This appointment marks a significant milestone for GPS as we strengthen our commitment to legal excellence and ensure our operations align with the highest standards of compliance. With the increasing complexity of regulations, the need for robust legal guidance and expertise has never been more important. With the addition of Alice and her extensive experience we are bolstering our legal capabilities across the board.”

Abbott has more than 30 years of experience working in-house with an array of companies and regulators in the financial services industry. Before her position at Fabriik/Round Rock, where she worked for a year, she served for six years as global general counsel for Associated Foreign Exchange. Before that she worked as general counsel and chief compliance officer for Jameson Bank/Jameson International Foreign Exchange for five years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

After graduating with a law degree from Queen’s University in Ontario in 1988, where she also received her MBA in 1995, she worked as counsel for the Department of Justice Canada, her profile states, before moving on to serve as investigation counsel and enforcement counsel for the Ontario Securities Commission and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, respectively.

After that she moved in-house, starting as a senior compliance manager at TD Waterhouse in 2002 and then moving into a general counsel and chief compliance officer role at Mercantile Exchange Corp. for nearly five years.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at GPS,” Abbott said in the company statement. “I have been immensely impressed by the professionalism and culture of the company. I look forward to establishing the legal department and continued success of GPS.”

–Editing by Rich Mills.