http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/24/meet-the-man-who-will-lead-sp/?hpt=hp_t2FORTUNE -- When Doug Peterson becomes president of Standard & Poor's this September, he'll inherit a series of headaches that few would envy. S&P is under fire from politicians for downgrading the United States from AAA to AA+. The Department of Justice is investigating the company for giving subprime mortgage securities top ratings just before they imploded. And regulators are trying to find ways to make it easier to sue ratings agencies, as well as make them less importantin the grand scheme of financial markets.
But Peterson has built a reputation at an executive who can handle government scrutiny, improve business standards and even repair a firm's deeply damaged reputation.
Peterson was appointed chief executive of Citigroup (C) in Japan in 2004, the same year that the country's Financial Services Agency ordered Citi to shut down its local private bank for improper trading practices and engaging in transactions that could be associated with money laundering. The bank was banned from participating in government bond auctions and from accepting foreign currency deposits from new customers. The FSA told the press that Citi gave profits "undue importance" and cultivated a "law-evading sales system that disregards the laws and regulations of Japan."
Then-CEO Charles Prince sent Peterson to figure out and fix what had gone wrong, to repair relations with the government and to bring the strategically important division back to life. Peterson cleaned house and overhauled the division, winning over regulators. The bank went on to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and acquire Nikko Cordial, Japan's third largest broker.
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