The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that Christopher R. Hetner will serve as Senior Advisor to the Chair for Cybersecurity Policy. In this newly created position, Mr. Hetner will report directly to SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White on all matters related to cybersecurity policy.  The announcement from the SEC comes just weeks after an April 2016 Government Accountability Office report highlighted continuing weaknesses with the SEC’s information security controls.  

As Senior Advisor, Mr. Hetner will be responsible for coordinating efforts across the SEC to address cybersecurity policy, engaging with external stakeholders, and further enhancing the agency’s mechanisms for assessing broad-based market risk, according to a June 2 SEC press release.  There is hope that the new position will help public companies and investors alike, in particular by clarifying and improving the cyber-risk disclosure process by SEC-regulated companies. 

Mr. Hetner previously served as the Cybersecurity Lead for the Technology Control Program within the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”). He has more than 20 years of experience in information technology and security and holds several industry-leading certifications.  

Reporter, Bailey J. Langner, San Francisco, +1 415 318 1214, blangner@kslaw.com.