WASHINGTON — Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig today announced Mel Gunewardena as director of the Office of International Affairs and Senior Markets Advisor to the Chairman.

“I am pleased to welcome Mel back to the CFTC,” said Chairman Selig. “He will be able to draw upon his decades of experience in global financial markets and international regulation to ensure the United States remains the leading marketplace for investors and risk managers.” 

“I also thank Mauricio Melara for his service as acting director of the Office of International Affairs since January 2025,” Chairman Selig continued. “I am very pleased he will continue serving the CFTC in the International Affairs Office.

“I am honored to join Chairman Selig’s senior leadership team to advance his pro-innovation agenda and to lead the Commission’s international engagement initiatives,” said Gunewardena. “I am committed to helping ensure the United States, as the world’s largest commodities and derivatives market, remains the most competitive and attractive marketplace as it serves the interests of farmers, ranchers, drillers, miners, and commercial and institutional participants. In my role as senior markets advisor to the Chairman, I look forward to delivering data-driven, forward-looking insights on market structure and risk management, and providing guidance during periods of uncertainty.”

Gunewardena brings extensive expertise in global financial markets and international regulatory affairs, developed through a distinguished career as a managing director in the Global Markets Trading Divisions at three G-SIBs—Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and State Street. He held various global leadership roles in trading, prime brokerage, and derivatives, overseeing risk businesses in North America, Europe, and Asia. More recently, he served as chief market intelligence officer at the CFTC from 2019 to 2022, and subsequently as senior advisor for global markets to the chief executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority.

Gunewardena has played a leading role in shaping U.S. and international regulatory initiatives focused on financial stability. He served on the Board and Executive Committee of CLS Bank and CLS Services, a key G10 initiative established to mitigate foreign exchange settlement risk, and on the Board of Markit Partners, which provided critical infrastructure enabling the clearing of credit default swaps. At the CFTC, he led multiple task forces addressing major market disruptions, including during COVID, periods of extreme volatility in crude oil, natural gas, electricity, and lumber markets, and the elimination of opportunistic strategies in credit default swaps. He also served as the staff representative to the U.S. Systemic Risk Council, a subcommittee of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. More recently, he co-chaired the Financial Stability Coordination Group, a subcommittee of IOSCO’s Financial Stability Engagement Group, and chaired the UK Secondary Markets Advisory Committee to the Financial Conduct Authority.