Alan L. Beller
Senior Counsel
Alan L. Beller is a preeminent legal advisor and recognized thought leader regarding securities law, capital markets, and corporate governance.
Alan currently serves in leadership oversight roles for organizations dedicated to long-term quality and stability of capital markets and the best interests of investors and issuers.
Alan was the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and a Senior Counselor to the Commission from January 2002 until February 2006. During his four-year tenure, he led the Division in producing the most far-reaching corporate governance, financial disclosure, and securities offering reforms in SEC history. Among his accomplishments were the implementation of the corporate provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the adoption of the first general corporate governance standards for listed companies, and the successful completion of comprehensive securities offering reforms.
During his more than 30 years of experience in private practice with Cleary Gottlieb, Alan has represented market-leading U.S. and non-U.S. companies, independent directors, and audit committees in complex transactions, including privatizations, demutualizations, and other initial public offerings, and corporate governance, securities, corporate, and accounting and auditing matters. He has lectured and written extensively on these and other topics.
Notable Experience
During his career, Alan has been involved in a leadership role in a large number of representations and transactions with significant market impact. These include:
Overseas Shipholding Group in its bankruptcy restructuring and successful emergence from bankruptcy, involving board governance, bankruptcy, tax, securities enforcement, private securities litigation and commercial aspects.
Citigroup following the 2008 financial crisis, including disclosure and other aspects of its post-crisis activities and reputation of the underwriter in its more than $20 billion global equity offering that permitted repayment of its U.S. government TARP advances.
The underwriters in the initial public offering of Goldman Sachs.
The Republic of Korea in its debt restructuring following the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Deutsche Bank in its U.S. registration and listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Credit Suisse in its U.S. registration and listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Major Korean companies in their initial accessing of the U.S. capital markets, including representatives of Pohang Iron and Steel and Korea Telecom in their privatization and initial public offerings in the United States, and representatives of the initial purchasers in Samsung’s first offering in the U.S capital markets.
The underwriters in the initial public offering of Prudential Financial.
The underwriters in the privatization and initial global public offering of Singapore Telecom.
Instinet in its initial public offering, which included the first significant use of an auction mechanism to distribute securities in the offering.
The underwriters in public offerings that marked the successful completion of the voluntary restructurings of Chrysler Corporation and Navistar.
Salomon Brothers in its acquisition by Phibro Corporation.
Selected Activities
triggerMember, Assurance Quality Advisory Committee, PwC US.
Member, Board of Directors and the Audit and Risk Committees, The Travelers Companies, Inc., a Dow Jones company.
Trustee, IFRS Foundation, which is responsible for governance and oversight of the International Accounting Standards Board and International Financial Reporting Standards, the global system of accounting standards used in more than 130 countries.
Member, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, which is developing industry-specific sustainability accounting standards that enable public companies to communicate financial material and decision-useful information to investors.
Publications
- “Sustainability Disclosure: A Matter of Public Trust,” CFO.com, October 31, 2016.
- “Making Sustainability Reporting Work for Investors and Companies,” Nasdaq, July 27, 2016.
- U.S. Regulation of the International Securities and Derivatives Markets, 11th Ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2014.
- “The OBO/NOBO Distinction in Beneficial Ownership: Implications for Shareowner Communications and Voting,” Council of Institutional Investors, February 2010.
Events
- March 08, 2019
PLI’s Corporate Governance: A Master Class 2019 - November 07, 2018
PLI’s 50th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation - September 27, 2018
Changes in Board Relations in an Era of High Scrutiny - May 03, 2018
Baruch College’s 17th Annual Financial Reporting Conference - April 16, 2018
PLI’s Corporate Governance: A Master Class 2018 - March 09, 2017
PLI’s Corporate Governance: A Master Class 2017 - November 2-4, 2016
PLI’s 48th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation - October 23, 2016
Top1000Funds’ Fiduciary Investors Symposium, Global CIO, New Haven, CT - May 3, 2016
ERISA Fiduciaries and the Securities Laws - October 28, 2015
PLI’s 47th Annual Securities Regulation Institute - November 5, 2014
PLI’s 46th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation - February 12, 2014
PLI’s Corporate Governance - A Master Class 2014