Bryan Bennett Named to Head Exam Program in Los Angeles Office

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it has named Bryan Bennett to lead the examination program in its Los Angeles Regional Office.  Mr. Bennett has been an assistant director in the Los Angeles examination program since January.  In his new role, he will oversee the SEC’s exam program in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, and Guam with a staff of approximately 60 examiners, accountants and attorneys.

Mr. Bennett joined the SEC’s Los Angeles office in 2008 as an examiner and later was named an exam manager, leading numerous teams in the investment adviser and investment company examination program.  During his tenure, exam findings by the teams led to significant enforcement actions, including a case charging a Santa Monica, California-based hedge fund manager with fraud in a multi-million dollar cherry picking scheme, and a case against an investment adviser for promoting a wealth management strategy that he falsely claimed had been empirically backtested.

“Bryan brings a unique combination of leadership skills and examination experience to build on the outstanding results of the Los Angeles Regional Office exam team,” said OCIE Acting Director Marc Wyatt.  “We are delighted to have him as one of the leaders in the National Examination Program.”

Michele Wein Layne, Director of the Los Angeles Regional Office, added, “Bryan is held in the highest esteem by his colleagues for his keen examination skills and the creative and pragmatic approach he brings to the examination program. He is equally respected as a highly effective leader, and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role heading our remarkable examination team.”

“It has been a great privilege working with the talented and dedicated staff of the examination program in Los Angeles.  It is an even greater honor to be asked to lead them going forward,” Mr. Bennett said.

Mr. Bennett is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Iowa College of Law.  He has four years of litigation experience in the private sector.