Seffy Zinger approved as new head of Israel Securities Authority
Zinger, a partner at law firm Herzog Fox & Neeman, confirmed as chairman of regulatory authority
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
Seffy (Yosef) Zinger, an attorney, has been approved as the new head of the Israel Securities Authority, the Finance Ministry announced on Sunday.
The approval comes after the senior appointments advisory committee decided to clear the appointment by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of Zinger to the post.
Zinger, 44, a partner in the corporate and securities department at prominent Israeli law firm Herzog Fox & Neeman since 2018, will replace Anat Guetta as chairperson of the Israel Securities Authority. Guetta stepped down in April after more than five years in office.
At Tel Aviv-based Herzog Fox & Neeman, Zinger has in recent years been overseeing the bankruptcy and insolvency practice advising Israeli and multinational companies on a wide range of complex issues in corporate and securities law. His area of expertise was focused on assisting companies and financial institutions in insolvency proceedings or in financial difficulty. At the law firm, Zinger was involved in the sale of a controlling interest in Partner Communications, the debt restructuring of the IDB Group, the privatization of the Haifa port, and other cross-border international transactions.
Before that, starting in 2011 Zinger held a number of positions at the Justice Ministry in the areas of insolvency and taxation as part of the counseling and legislation department. He played a central role in the drafting of the insolvency and financial rehabilitation law passed by the Knesset in 2018. In addition, he was also involved in a number of economic reforms, including the regulation of securitization and nonbank credit, the Sheshinski committee examining natural gas and petroleum policies, and the committee on debt restructuring in Israel.
Smotrich expressed confidence in Zinger’s “experience both in the private market and in the public sector in the economic field in general and in the field of securities in particular.”
Smotrich added that Zinger will work together with the Finance Ministry to help develop new financial instruments to support the various sectors of the economy, strengthen the stock exchange, and reduce and streamline regulation.
The Israel Securities Authority oversees and supervises a broad range of activities in the capital market, including trade and corporate securities on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange; initial public offerings (IPOs) by companies raising capital from the public and institutional investors; operation of mutual funds that offer the public a range of liquid and convenient investment avenues; and operation of financial agents including investment consultants and portfolio managers.