Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Chairman Atkins was nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025.

“I am honored by the trust and confidence President Trump and the Senate have placed in me to lead the SEC,” said Chairman Atkins. “As I return to the SEC, I am pleased to join with my fellow Commissioners and the agency’s dedicated professionals to advance its mission to facilitate capital formation; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and protect investors. Together we will work to ensure that the U.S. is the best and most secure place in the world to invest and do business.”

Prior to returning to the SEC, Chairman Atkins was most recently chief executive of Patomak Global Partners, a company he founded in 2009. Chairman Atkins helped lead efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset sector. He served as an independent director and non-executive chairman of the board of BATS Global Markets, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.

Chairman Atkins was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he advocated for transparency, consistency, and the use of cost-benefit analysis at the agency. Chairman Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Before serving as an SEC Commissioner, Chairman Atkins was as a consultant on securities and investment management industry matters, especially regarding issues of strategy, regulatory compliance, risk management, new product development, and organizational control.

From 1990 to 1994, Chairman Atkins served on the staff of two chairmen of the SEC, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt, ultimately as chief of staff and counselor, respectively.

Chairman Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He was resident for 2½ years in his firm’s Paris office and admitted as conseil juridique in France.

A member of the New York and Florida bars, Chairman Atkins received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983 and his A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Wofford College in 1980.

Originally from Lillington, North Carolina, Chairman Atkins grew up in Tampa, Florida. He and his wife Sarah have three sons.

Source: SEC

Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. https://t.co/UF2qmAwb8P pic.twitter.com/7ekU3TUDEM

— U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (@SECGov) April 22, 2025

Note To SEC Staff: Thank You And Welcome Chairman Atkins – SEC Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda

Dear SEC Colleagues,

Sometimes, life comes full circle. In October 2006, I joined the Commission as counsel to then-Commissioner Paul S. Atkins. One of his other counsels was Hester Peirce. Today, I take great pride in seeing Paul sworn in as the next Chairman of the Commission.

Now, the transition set in motion by the voters last November is complete. It has been an honor to serve as your Acting Chairman since President Trump signed my designation three months ago.

At the outset, I asked for your patience as we worked to respond and implement the new directions and executive orders from President Trump. I am grateful that you gave it to me.

During the last three months, you have worked hard to advance our mission. At the same time, we bid farewell to many colleagues who opted to retire or otherwise leave the Commission.

We have accomplished many things since January. We established the Crypto Task Force and withdrew enforcement actions in registration-only crypto cases. We replaced SAB 121 and held public roundtables on what regulation of crypto should look like. We provided guidance, including updates to Schedule 13G eligibility, changed FAQs for the Advisers Act marketing rule, and issued Staff Legal Bulletin 14M on shareholder proposals. We removed personally identifiable information from the Consolidated Audit Trail.

We dropped our defense of the climate rule and withdrew the appeal of the dealer rule. We extended certain compliance dates where needed to avoid market disruption, such as the clearing of U.S. Treasury securities. We successfully oversaw the markets during periods of record-breaking trading activity. We resumed having in-person Commission meetings and managed the return to office.

None of these accomplishments could have been done without your efforts. I also want to recognize the contributions of the Division and Office leaders as well as my personal staff in the Acting Chairman’s office. Thank you.

I look forward to returning to my regular role as a Commissioner and working on behalf of investors, issuers, and market participants. See you around!

Mark

Source: SEC