Binance's new general counsel

Source: Supplied. Binance's new general counsel, Eleanor Hughes.

In her new role, Hughes will lead the company’s legal affairs alongside a team of 85 lawyers. She will also be working closely with the global compliance team to support Binance’s commitment to responsibly growing the industry in close collaboration with regulators and policymakers globally.

Binance founder and chief executive officer, Changpeng Zhao shared: “Hughes has been working at Binance for nearly two years now and, during that period, she has quickly grown to be a trusted advisor to me and Binance on legal matters.

“Her extensive legal experience, strong industry knowledge, deep integrity, and great work ethic make her an indispensable asset to the company. With Hughes at the helm, I am confident that our industry-leading legal team will continue to excel in its mission to always protect users and manage risks on our platform.”

From legal team member to head of legal

Hughes joined Binance’s legal team in November 2021. She was subsequently promoted to be the head of legal for Apac and Mena for Binance, where she oversaw matters in the two regions and managed a team of lawyers specialising in regulatory affairs, M&A, commercial law, and litigation.

She played an important role in securing virtual asset service provider licenses and registrations for Binance in several jurisdictions, including Bahrain, Dubai, and New Zealand.

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“The digital assets industry is in a transformational time as it experiences rapid mainstream adoption and evolves to be a mature, regulated sector. I am excited to lead the accomplished legal team at Binance during such a pivotal time,” said Hughes.

Today we celebrate 6 years of #Binance!

Thank you for your extraordinary support over the last 6 years and we can't wait for what lies ahead.

Here's a message from @cz_binance to all of you for #BinanceTurns6. pic.twitter.com/Xkf8bVv5ou

— Binance (@binance) July 14, 2023

“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 is an accomplished legal professional with 15 years of experience in both private practice and in-house roles. Prior to joining Binance, she spent more than 10 years at US law firms including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, where she focused on litigation and contentious matters.

Hughes graduated from the University of Cambridge with first class honours.