Robinhood Chief Legal Officer Gallagher is Frontrunner To Replace SEC Chair Gensler
Former SEC commissioner Dan Gallagher, 45, has emerged as a top candidate to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following Donald Trump’s presidential election win. Currently chief legal and compliance officer at Robinhood Markets, Gallagher heads a shortlist of candidates being considered by Trump's transition team.
The would-be nomination represents a dramatic turn for the regulatory agency, since Gallagher, a former SEC commissioner between 2011 and 2015 under the Obama presidency, may well succeed the currently leading chair, Gary Gensler. Trump promised unequivocally to fire Gensler "on day one" of his presidency.
Other candidates still in consideration include Paul Atkins, another former Republican SEC commissioner who played an important role in Trump's 2016 transition team, and Robert Stebbins, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, who was the general counsel of the SEC during the previous Trump administration.
Gensler, a 2021 Biden appointee, also said he would resign if Trump wins, though his term is set to last until 2026.