Binance appoints Eleanor Hughes as General Counsel

Crypto firm Binance has announced the appointment of Eleanor Hughes as its General Counsel.

In her new role, Eleanor Hughes 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 Binance’s commitment to responsibly grow the global Web3 industry in close collaboration with regulators and policymakers around the world.

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.”

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 Hughes 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.