Eleanor Hughes Appointed as Binance’s General Counsel
Main Takeaways
Eleanor Hughes, who powered Binance’s successful efforts to secure licenses and registrations in multiple jurisdictions, becomes the company’s General Counsel.
Hughes, who brings more than 15 years of experience both in-house and at law firms, will lead a force of 85 lawyers and work closely with the company’s Compliance team.
We are excited to announce the appointment of our own Eleanor Hughes as Binance’s General Counsel. In her new role, Eleanor will oversee the company’s global legal affairs alongside a team of 85 legal experts. A major focus of her work will be on collaborating with Binance’s Global Compliance team to support our commitment to responsibly grow the global Web3 industry in close collaboration with regulators and policymakers around the world.
At the Helm of an Industry-Leading Legal Team
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), Binance’s Founder and CEO, shared that, during her nearly two years with Binance, Hughes has grown to be a trusted advisor to himself and the team on legal matters. Her extensive legal experience, strong industry knowledge, deep integrity, and great work ethic all make her an indispensable asset to the company. CZ added: “With Eleanor at the helm, I am confident that our industry-leading legal team will continue to flourish in its mission to always protect users and manage risks on our platform.”
In Eleanor’s view, the digital-asset industry is going through a transformational time now as it experiences rapid mainstream adoption and evolves to be a mature, regulated sector. She shared how excited she is to lead the accomplished legal team at Binance during such a pivotal time: “Together with regulators, Binance has the responsibility as an industry leader to ensure consumers are protected while leaving space for the technology to keep growing and innovating. Our team will continue to engage and collaborate closely with regulators around the globe to achieve this vision.”
Hughes joined Binance’s Legal team in November 2021. She was subsequently promoted to be the Head of Legal for APAC and MENA, where she oversaw matters in the two regions and managed a team of lawyers specializing in regulatory affairs, M&A, commercial law, and litigation. She was instrumental in securing virtual asset service provider licenses and registrations for Binance in several jurisdictions, including Bahrain, Dubai, and New Zealand.
Eleanor is an accomplished legal professional with 15 years of experience in both private practice and in-house roles. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with First Class Honors and, prior to joining Binance, spent more than ten years at US law firms including Skadden, Arps, Slate, and Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, where she focused on litigation and contentious matters.