Fannie Mae appoints Leslie Rahl to board of directors

US mortgage agency Fannie Mae has appointed Leslie Rahl to its board of directors, filling the seat Stephen Friedman vacated after he resigned to become assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council.

“Leslie has a keen understanding of financial markets and an interest in the mission of Fannie Mae,” said Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae’s chief executive.

Rahl is the president and founder of Capital Market Risk Advisors, a financial advisory firm that specialises in risk management and capital markets strategy. Previously, she had her own consulting firm, Leslie Rahl Associates, which concentrated on swaps, options and derivatives, and she worked for Citibank in New York from 1972 until 1991, latterly as vice-president and co-head of the North America derivatives group.

Rahl’s publications include Hedge Fund Transparency: Unravelling the Complex and Controversial Debate, published by Risk Books in March 2003.