U.S. Securities and Exchange appoints its first woman of color to lead the agency

Former federal prosecutor, Alex Oh, becomes the first woman of color to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission, as the announcement was made by the division on Thursday.

Alex Oh named SEC Director of Enforcement https://t.co/INycTY3nv9

— U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (@SECGov) April 22, 2021

Her appointment comes amid a diversity push in President Biden’s administration and is first big move under Chair Gary Gensler.

Oh, a native of Seoul has extensive trial experience and she previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

In a statement, she had said, “I am committed to working tirelessly to uncover and prosecute violations of the law, whether by the businesses or their leaders so that we can keep American capital markets the strongest in the world.”

It is expected that the new leader of SEC will be guiding a tougher regulatory regime for Wall Street. “Our capital markets – and the broader economy – thrive when there are clear rules of the road and a cop on the beat to enforce them,” Gensler stated in a statement on Thursday. It is also expected of the agency to ratchet up scrutiny for the cryptocurrency.