Thomas A. Russo

Thomas “Tom” A. Russo has been honored as the most innovative GC in North America by the FT, for running the best legal department in the world, and as a “Legend in Law.”

In addition to stints as a regulator, a management committee member of Cadwalader, and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, Tom was GC at AIG, where he helped lead the successful effort to restore AIG to financial health while repaying the government’s $182 billion loan plus a $22 billion profit. While at AIG, Tom centralized the multibillion-dollar legal budget and built an entire team dedicated to process management and technology, both increasing quality and saving hundreds of millions of dollars for AIG.

Tom earned his bachelor's degree in economics at Fordham University graduating Phi Beta Kappa and later earned an MBA from the Cornell Graduate School of Business, and in the same year, his J.D. degree from Cornell Law School. He also served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Graduate Business School and has authored several books and articles on topics in commodities, securities, and corporate legal fields relating to financial market regulation.

He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York International Advisory Committee.