Noam Champ was named the new director of the SEC’s Investment Management Division, which regulates federally registered investment advisers and investment companies. The appointment was announced Thursday. Champ replaces Eileen Rominger, who is retiring.
Champ holds first-rate academic credentials—an undergraduate degree from Princeton, Fulbright Scholarship for his master’s degree, and J.D. from Harvard Law School—and he has risen quickly at the SEC. He first joined the regulator in January 2010, and was hired by Carlo di Florio as the number two guy at the OCIE (Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations) just a few months later.
He’s received two awards during his short time at the SEC: the Chairman’s Award for Law and Policy for his role in OCIE’s implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act and the Chairman’s Award for Labor-Management Relations for his role in the reorganization of OCIE.
The Investment Adviser’s Association and the Investment Company Institute both voiced their approval of his appointment.
“I think he is an excellent choice for the Investment Management Division,” said David Tittsworth, executive director of the Investment Adviser Association. “He came to the SEC with significant experience working in an investment advisory business. During his short tenure at the SEC, he has distinguished himself as a leader and change-agent.”
Before joining the SEC, Champ was general counsel for 10 years as well as a member of the executive committee and a partner at investment management firm Chilton Investment Company, a multi-national adviser to private funds and managed accounts.
“Mr. Champ’s knowledge of our industry, developed through his rich professional experience, including his regulatory experience overseeing investment company and investment adviser examinations, make him extraordinarily well equipped to serve the Commission in this vital role,” said the ICI in a statement.
In OCIE, where Champsits on the Executive and Operating Committees, he has served as the acting head of the broker-dealer, investment adviser/investment company and credit rating agency exam programs and as acting chief counsel, according to the SEC’s release. Mr. Champ also led the creation of OCIE’s first Examination Manual.