Financial Services Roundtable adds lobbyists

The retooling at the Financial Services Roundtable continued on Thursday as the powerful lobby group announced five new hires.

{mosads}The group said it is bringing on three lobbyists and a new senior official who will manage the association’s members. The hires aim to address some of the most pressing policy challenges in the financial services world, including cybersecurity and the growth of the payments industry.

“These hires are some of Washington’s foremost experts in politics and financial services policy and their experience will deliver a stronger voice for the financial services industry in Washington,” said former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), the Roundtable’s chief executive and president.

Georgette Perros Sierra, a former senior staffer to Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), will be the vice president of government affairs for lending and leasing. She also worked in the government affairs shop at USAA.

The Roundtable hired Jason Kratovil, a former legislative director for former Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), as vice president of government affairs for payments. More recently, he served as the vice president and deputy executive director for the American Bankers Association’s Card Policy Counsel. He also served as a vice president at the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Josh Magri has become the group’s director of technology and operations policy and will work on data breaches. He is a cybersecurity expert and attorney and has significant experience lobbying Congress and the executive branch.

The group hired Scott Stewart as the director of membership. He has experience with Shell E&P, the oil and gas exploration and production arm of the energy giant, in the campaign world and at the Interior Department.

Rounding out the hires is Manuel Grajeda , who recently finished an internship with the White House. He was added as a government affairs assistant.

Pawlenty said in a statement he is excited for the team’s increased capacity to lobby on “cybersecurity, retirement security, [terrorism risk insurance], housing finance reform and other critical issues.”

Last month, the group announced the hire of Francis Creighton, the chief of staff to Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), as its top lobbyist. He began on Feb. 24 and replaced Scott Talbott, who left the Roundtable last fall.