Gary Simmons

Managing Director, High Yield division at Association for Financial Markets in Europe

Gary Simmons is the Managing Director of the AFME High Yield division, for which he leads AFME’s efforts to lower costs and increase efficiency in the execution of high-yield transactions, and lobbies for the reform of corporate insolvency laws. He also heads the AFME Prime Services division, which monitors business, legal and regulatory issues affecting the prime brokerage industry, and provides advocacy for member positions. Mr. Simmons is a New York-qualified lawyer and was previously a Senior Associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. After an initial period in New York, Gary spent several years in London, gaining extensive experience in cross border and emerging markets debt transactions, particularly high-yield bond issuances and leveraged loans. Gary has a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law (with honors) and a Bachelor of Arts (with highest honors) from Rutgers University. Following law school, he was a Law Clerk to the Honorable William H. Walls of the United States Federal District Court, District of New Jersey.