Congratulations, Rick! Our 2026 Rauschman Award Recipient
It is the pleasure of SIFMA’s Compliance & Legal Society to present Richard G. Ketchum with the 2026 Alfred J. Rauschman Award!
The Alfred J. Rauschman Award is presented by the Society annually to a candidate who has demonstrated significant contributions to the compliance and legal communities, promoted open communications among industry practitioners to share ideas and issues, fostered dialogue and communications with regulators and dedicated their career to the securities industry. Al Rauschman was a visionary in the securities industry compliance and legal profession. The humble roots of SIFMA’s Compliance & Legal Society go back to a time in the late 1960’s when Rauschman and a group of his contemporaries began meeting informally to discuss current compliance, legal and regulatory topics affecting the securities industry. Those early efforts led ultimately to the founding of what is today known as the SIFMA Compliance & Legal Society, and Al Rauschman served as its first President.
“I believe truly that a major differentiator that characterizes the financial industry on our best days from just about any other industry I have interacted with is our commitment to work together – regulators and industry – to find better solutions to protect investors,” said Ketchum when accepting the award. “That can only happen with continuous engagement with folks that are willing to engage – and that is the other side of what i think is unique about the financial industry and that is reflected by the people in this room. It is the recognition and the buy-in that the financial markets are a treasure which must be protected by placing investors first.”
From 2009 to 2016, Ketchum served as the former Chairman of Board of Governors and Chief Executive Officer of FINRA. Under his leadership, FINRA reinvented the way it examines the industry and dramatically improved its ability to detect fraud before investors are harmed by improving collaboration with the SEC, DOJ, and FBI. Upon his retirement, FINRA created The Ketchum Prize in his honor to recognize outstanding service by those advancing investor protections and financial capabilities.
In 2010, Ketchum was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, a group established to promote and enhance financial literacy for Americans. Prior to joining FINRA, Ketchum was the Chief Executive Officer of NYSE Regulation, Inc. from 2006 to 2009, and previously was the first Chief Regulatory Officer of the New York Stock Exchange from 2004 to 2006. Before that, Ketchum held a twelve-year tenure at the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., where he served as President of both organizations. Prior to working at NASD and Nasdaq, Ketchum was at the SEC for 14 years, including serving eight of those years as the Director of the Division of Market Regulation. Ketchum earned his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1975 and his B.A. from Tufts University in 1972. He is a member of the bar in both New York and the District of Columbia.
In This Video
- Richard Ketchum, Retired CEO, FINRA
- Robert L.D. Colby, Chief Legal Officer, FINRA
- Robert Cook, President and CEO, FINRA
- Adena T. Friedman, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Nasdaq
- Mary L. Schapiro, Vice Chair, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and Vice Chair of Global Public Policy, Special Advisor to the Founder and Chairman, Bloomberg