Independent power producer Talen Energy has named Daniel Kelly as its new general counsel and corporate secretary.
In his new role, Kelly will lead the company’s legal, regulatory and external affairs functions as well as oversee all corporate governance. He succeeds John Wander who has retired but will oversee a brief period of transition.
‘I am pleased to have Dan join Talen as general counsel and corporate secretary,’ says Terry Nutt, president at Talen.
‘Dan is a seasoned attorney in our industry with significant experience advising management and boards on a variety of legal and regulatory issues. Our team looks forward to his counsel and leadership as we position Talen for the future.’
Kelly enters the role with over 25 years of legal and governance experience. He most recently worked as SVP and deputy general counsel for Vistra Corp, before which he worked as an attorney at the Dallas office of Vinson & Elkins LLP.
Much earlier in his career he served as a judicial law clerk for Joe Fish, chief judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, and for Pasco Bowman, circuit judge of the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Kansas City, Missouri.
Over at Cboe Global Markets, Boudewijn Duinstra has been named as its soon-to-be EVP and chief risk officer.
With no disclosed start date, Duinstra is set to lead Cboe’s global risk management function and bolster the company’s enterprise risk framework, operational resilience and governance.
Duinstra brings to the role over 30 years of experience in the space. Most recently, he served as CEO of ABN AMRO Clearing USA. Before that he was head of risk management at ICE Clear Europe and held various senior roles at ABN AMRO, including chief risk officer and managing board member of ABN AMRO Clearing Bank.
‘As we continue to execute on our next phase of growth, maintaining a strong, resilient, and globally integrated risk management framework remains foundational to our strategy and long-term success,’ says Craig Donohue, CEO of Cboe Global Markets.
‘Boudewijn Duinstra brings deep enterprise risk expertise, proven operational leadership, and direct experience in areas core to Cboe's future growth – particularly derivatives and clearing – which will be highly valuable as we scale our capabilities globally. We are pleased to welcome him to our Executive Leadership team.’
Elsewhere, Oceanic Iron Ore, a Canadian exploration and development-stage mining company, has welcomed Ashley Kates as its new CFO and corporate secretary.
Kates, who previously served as the company's corporate controller, replaces Gerrie van der Westhuizen who has held the role since the beginning of 2023 and more generally with the company since 2020.
She assumes the new role with nearly 20 years of progressive leadership experience in the mining industry, spanning exploration through commercial production. She has particular experience in guiding mining companies through operational growth this includes her time at Atlantic Gold Corporation and its ultimate acquisition in 2019 for approximately $800 mn.
Staying in North America, Six Flags Entertainment, the NYSE-listed amusement park operator, has named Christopher Bennett as its new chief legal and compliance officer. Starting on June 3, he will succeed Brian Nurse – who left the company earlier this month – and joins alongside new chief marketing officer Amy Martin Ziegenfuss.
Previously a partner at the international law firm Dentons, Bennett brings more than 25 years of legal experience in the hospitality and leisure industries, which includes 16 years leading the legal department of Interstate Hotels & Resorts as chief administrative officer, general counsel and secretary. He was also general counsel and secretary of MeriStar Hospitality, a NYSE public hotel real estate investment trust.
‘As we enter the next chapter for Six Flags, now is the right time to bring in new leadership with relevant skills and fresh perspectives to advance our key priorities,’ says Six Flags Entertainment’s president and CEO John Reilly.
‘Amy and Christopher are recognized leaders who bring considerable experience in marketing, hospitality, legal affairs, governance and complex consumer-facing businesses.’
Over at biopharmaceutical company Valion Bio, Melinda Lackey has been appointed as general counsel and SVP of legal affairs.
She brings over 18 years of legal and corporate experience to her new position. Prior to joining Valion Bio, Lackey served as SVP, legal and administration of Alaunos Therapeutics. Before this, she served as counsel at Hogan Lovells, as general counsel at Kuur Therapeutics and practiced law at Winston & Strawn LLP.
Lastly, Euronext-listed investment firm Wendel has confirmed the appointment of Sébastien Metzger as general counsel.
Metzger has been with the company since 2008 starting as an M&A lawyer before being promoted to deputy head of legal affairs in 2018 and then to general counsel M&A and finance in 2022.
In his new role, Metzger will continue to supervise the M&A legal department as well as the general secretariat and compliance functions.
Natalie Bannerman
Natalie is a former telecoms and infrastructure journalist, a role she held for nearly seven years. Before this, she worked in the B2C startup space, covering lifestyle, arts and culture reporting. As senior reporter for Governance Intelligence she...
