NEW YORK: Indian-American Appointed As US Securities And Exchange Commission Director

NEW YORK: Gurbir S Grewal, a prominent
Indian-American and the longest-serving Sikh Attorney-General of the US state
of New Jersey, is stepping down to take up a key position with the US
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Gurbir S
Grewal, 48, will become SEC’s director of the enforcement division, which
regulates financial markets, from July 26 after serving since January 2018 as
the state’s top law enforcement officer, the SEC said in a statement on
Tuesday.

“I’m
honoured and delighted to welcome Attorney General Gurbir S Grewal to the
SEC,” said Gary Gensler, the SEC Chairman.

“He
has had a distinguished career as New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer
and as a prosecutor at both the local and federal levels. He has the ideal
combination of experience, values, and leadership ability to helm the
Enforcement Division at this critical time. I look forward to working closely
with him to protect investors and root out wrongdoing in our markets,”
Gary Gensler said.

Gurbir S
Grewal is the second pick for the post since President Joe Biden took office in
January.

The
commission had tapped attorney Alex Oh to lead the enforcement division in
April, but she stepped down only days later for unstated “personal
reasons,” the NJ.com reported.

“The
Enforcement Division has a critical role to play in finding and punishing
violations of the law,” said Gurbir S Grewal.

“I’m
excited to get to work with the talented team of public servants to uncover and
prosecute misconduct and protect investors. I thank Governor (Phil) Murphy for the
opportunity to serve the people of New Jersey and all of the colleagues with
whom I’ve had the pleasure to work during my career in the state.”

Gurbir S
Grewal has been the state’s top law enforcement leader for more than three
years, the first to hit that mark since the early 1990s, the report added.

As the
nation’s first Sikh state attorney general, Gurbir S Grewal, and his office
have overhauled the rules governing police use of force in New Jersey for the
first time in a generation and joined other states to sue the federal
government more in three years than the Garden State had in the previous four
decades, while simultaneously investigating and prosecuting a range of crimes.

The
Attorney General in New Jersey has more direct authority over local police than
in any other state, NJ.com noted.

Gurbir S
Grewal graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1995. He obtained his law
degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in
1999.

New
Jersey Governor Murphy, a Democrat who appointed Gurbir S Grewal, in a
statement said that he will miss Grewal’s leadership.

“Though
we’ll miss his leadership, I know he’s the right person to protect investors
all across the nation.”

 “Through his efforts
standing up to the Trump administration’s attacks on New Jersey and our diverse
communities, instituting historic reforms in policing, and leading the fight
against gun violence, Attorney General Gurbir S Grewal has been an invaluable
member of our administration,” Murphy said in a statement.