MFA has named Zach Gates Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, adding a former senior House Financial Services Committee staff member to its government affairs team in Washington, D.C. Gates most recently served as Staff Director of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets.
In his new position, Gates will work with MFA’s Government Affairs team on advocacy initiatives involving Congress and the executive branch, with a focus on issues affecting U.S. capital markets and the alternative asset management industry. He reports to John Van Etten, MFA’s Managing Director and Head of U.S. Government Affairs.
MFA said Gates will work on policy matters intended to support the ability of alternative asset managers to raise and deploy capital on behalf of institutional investors, including public and private pension funds, foundations and endowments. MFA represents alternative asset managers including hedge funds, private credit funds and hybrid funds.
Before joining MFA, Gates spent nearly a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives, working primarily on capital markets and financial services policy. His congressional experience included legislation and oversight involving securities markets, investment management and related financial regulatory matters.
As Staff Director of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Gates advised Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee on securities regulation, capital formation, market structure, investment management and corporate governance.
The subcommittee role placed Gates at the intersection of legislative and regulatory policy affecting securities markets, asset managers, public companies and other participants in the U.S. financial system.
Before becoming Staff Director, Gates held several policy positions for Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri, including Chairman’s Designee for the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Senior Legislative Assistant.
MFA said Gates’ experience with both legislative development and congressional oversight will support the association’s work as it engages with lawmakers and federal agencies on capital markets issues.
His arrival comes as MFA continues to engage regulators and lawmakers on a range of financial-market issues, including matters affecting securities markets, derivatives, asset management and the use of emerging technologies in financial markets.
MFA’s U.S. Government Affairs team is led by Van Etten and operates alongside the association’s broader advocacy and regulatory affairs functions.
Gates earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Psychology from the University of Alabama.
MFA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices in New York, Brussels and London. The association represents more than 180 fund manager members across the alternative asset management industry.
