Zaidi first joined the commission in 2010 and served in various roles through 2019. He spent his last two years at the agency as Director of the Division of Market Oversight, a post he took on in 2017.
What He Did Outside GovernmentAfter leaving the commission in 2019, Zaidi moved to the private sector. He joined TP ICAP as Global Head of Compliance in September 2019, a role in which he oversaw a large compliance team and reported to senior legal leadership at the firm. That experience gave him direct exposure to broker-dealer operations and market structure issues.
Zaidi’s years at the commission included work on exchange oversight, swap data, and market monitoring. The TP ICAP materials describe him as having led a team of about 90 staff across multiple offices while at the CFTC, an operational detail tied to his DMO role. That mix of policy and hands-on management is what the agency emphasized when announcing his return.
Regulators will likely move quickly to set priorities for 2026. Market participants and lawmakers will watch how the new chief of staff helps the CFTC coordinate with other agencies and respond to incoming legislation.
Featured image from Flowcarbon, chart from TradingView
