Kurt Hohl, a former partner at Big Four accounting firm Ernst & Young who has nearly 40 years of accounting and auditing experience, was named chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 13.
Hohl, an SEC alum, will rejoin the markets regulator as its top accountant on July 7. He succeeds Paul Munter, who retired as chief accountant in January after serving in that position during Gary Gensler’s tenure as SEC chairman.
Acting Chief Accountant Ryan Wolfe will return to his role as chief accountant in the Division of Enforcement, the SEC said on Friday.
“Kurt is an experienced accountant with deeply technical knowledge and international experience, and we are lucky he has decided to return to the SEC,” SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in a statement. “This is an important role. Given that I served with Kurt previously, I know firsthand that his integrity, along with his skills, will benefit our markets and investors.
“I want to thank Ryan for his service as acting chief accountant and am pleased that he will continue serving in the Division of Enforcement,” he added.
Hohl most recently founded Corallium Advisors, a company that helps businesses navigate the complexities of auditing, regulatory compliance, risk management, and initial public offerings.
Before that, he spent 26 years as a partner at EY in a variety of roles. His final EY role was as global deputy vice chair of the firm’s Global Assurance Professional Practice. In that role he was responsible for the operation and oversight of the technical, regulatory, risk, and quality oversight functions of EY’s global professional practice organization—a team of more than 1,400 professionals.
Hohl previously served at the SEC from 1989 to 1997, rising to associate chief accountant in the Division of Corporation Finance. There he authored what became the Financial Reporting Manual, a primary guide for the SEC accounting staff and practitioners in the application of the federal securities laws. He began his professional career at Deloitte Haskins & Sells.
Hohl received a Bachelor in Business Studies in accounting from James Madison University and is a licensed CPA in Virginia.
“I’m pleased to come back to the SEC along with Chairman Atkins,” Hohl said in a statement. “This is a pivotal time for our capital markets, and I look forward to working with the dedicated public servants in the Office of the Chief Accountant to advance accounting and auditing policies that reinforce investor confidence, enhance transparency, and support innovation.”
Wolfe has served as acting chief accountant since January. He concurrently has been serving as chief accountant of the Division of Enforcement and has previously served as senior associate chief accountant in the Office of the Chief Accountant.
Photo caption: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seal hangs on the facade of its building in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)
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