Elinphant Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of Providing Specialized Compliance Solutions to Wide Range of Financial Services Companies

Industry Veterans Virginia Harnisch, Glen Garofalo join Elinphant’s team of compliance experts

CEO Elin Cherry credits Elinphant workers’ determination for firm’s successful growth during the pandemic

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elinphant, the woman-owned international financial compliance consulting firm, marked its fifth anniversary, celebrating its growth from a one-person shop to a full-service operation providing more than 75 clients with a wide range of compliance, governance and risk-management solutions.

“I am so honored to serve so many people who have put their trust in my company and me,” said Elin Cherry, Elinphant’s founder and CEO. “I am especially proud of all of the employees at Elinphant for their dedication to our clients. Their determination to provide continuous service throughout the pandemic has been awe-inspiring.”

Broker-dealers, investment advisors, financial institutions and trading firms turn to Elinphant’s experts for specialized help in areas including trading, private placements, M&A, crypto, research and more. Start-ups and FinTech firms are using Elinphant for guidance with financial apps, Blockchain and technology for trading, information and regulatory functions.

To fuel future growth, Virginia Harnisch, formerly SMBC Capital Markets’ Chief Compliance Officer, and Glen Garofalo, former FINRA Director of Credit Regulation, joined Elinphant’s team of industry veterans.

Harnisch built SMBC’s top-tier swap dealer compliance program from the ground up. Before SMBC, she was a managing director in the New York Stock Exchange’s Division of Enforcement. At Elinphant she focuses on the areas of swaps and futures. Garofalo, while at FINRA, was responsible for providing technical guidance and education on the credit and margin rules of FINRA, the SEC, and the Federal Reserve Board. At Elinphant he assists clients in the areas of margins and operations.

Also new to Elinphant is compliance specialist Ernesto Conte, who has more than 20 years experience, including stints with AIG and FINRA. Janelle Deegan joined as a Compliance Engagement Administrator, bringing more than 15 years industry experience to the team. Elinphant also named College of Charleston graduate Isabel Gray as marketing coordinator.

Before founding Elinphant, Cherry was Head of Global Markets Compliance NY for Societe Generale and Director and Head of Business Unit Compliance at CIT. She has held compliance positions at Bank of America, Deutsche Bank and Prudential Securities.

Elinphant is a certified Women-Owned Small Business, as outlined by the SBA and by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and is listed in FINRA’s Compliance Vendor Directory.