OCIE chief counsel picked as SEC unit’s co-deputy director

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has appointed its chief counsel to serve as a deputy director, fortifying senior leadership amid recent departures of veteran staff.

Daniel Kahl, who has been with the SEC for more than 17 years, will continue his role as chief counsel while taking on the duties of his new position. He has been OCIE’s chief counsel since February 2016.

Kahl will be working as co-deputy director alongside Kristin Snyder, who was recently promoted to deputy director in July, to oversee OCIE’s strategic initiatives. He will also advise OCIE’s leadership on legal, strategic and policy matters regarding the agency’s National Exam Program. Snyder replaced Jane Jarcho, who retired in August after serving in various roles in the SEC since 1990.

Before joining OCIE, Kahl led the Division of Investment Management’s Office of Investment Adviser Regulation. Before that, he was an attorney at the Investment Adviser Association, FINRA and the North American Securities Administrators Association.

Certain departments within the SEC have been facing staff shortages following an agency-wide hiring freeze that has been in place since late 2016. The Division of Enforcement reported in November that its headcount has dropped by 10 percent in the past two years.