Jobs roundup: Ex-SEC crypto enforcement chief joins law firm

The crypto industry presents many opportunities for interesting work.

On one hand, you could get paid to create memes for a web3 company. For those with loftier ambitions, the chief of staff role is taking off in this sector.

So who’s been hired lately, and what are crypto’s most interesting jobs?

DL News pulled together the past month’s top moves.

Law, policy, and regulation

Former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer David Hirsch joined law firm McGuireWoods.

Hirsch will be a partner in the firm’s securities enforcement and regulatory counselling practice.

Hirsch left the SEC in June after almost nine years at the markets watchdog. His latest role was as chief of the regulator’s crypto assets and cyber unit within its enforcement division.

Ripple policy director for EMEA Andrew Whitworth left the blockchain company to found a consultancy, Global Policy Limited.

Whitworth said in a LinkedIn post he was also accepted as a visiting fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, where he will research digital finance economics.

Exchanges

Coinbase added three new heavyweight experts to its board of directors:

• Chris Lehane, a former executive at Airbnb, current executive at OpenAI, and a political veteran who served in the administration of President Bill Clinton.
• Paul Clement, a partner at law firm Clement & Murphy and a former US solicitor general during the administration of George W. Bush. Clement recently led the case that saw the Supreme Court overturn the Chevron doctrine.
• Tech veteran Christa Davies, who is chief financial officer at consulting giant Aon. Davies has sat on the boards of fintechs Stripe and Workday. Prior to joining Aon, she was vice president and CFO of Microsoft’s platform and services division.

Coinbase said the three new board members have different political philosophies and different career paths, but “they have all arrived at the same conclusion: crypto is a powerful tool to update the system.”

Investment

Former Goldman Sachs executive Peter Mintzberg joined Grayscale Investments as its chief executive officer.

The crypto asset manager announced Mintzberg’s appointment in May. He officially began his new role in mid-August, succeeding Michael Sonnenshein.

Mintzberg joined Grayscale from Goldman Sachs, where he was global head of strategy for asset and wealth management.

He has also worked at asset management giants BlackRock, Invesco, and OppenheimerFunds.

Banking

Investment banking giant Citi’s head of digital assets Shobhit Maini left after 14 years at the bank.

Maini said in a LinkedIn post he will pursue an entrepreneurial venture in the digital assets space.

Deepak Mehra succeeds Maini in the role, Reuters reported.

Help wanted

Exchange Kraken seeks an EU-based head of international compliance.

Candidates must have 10-plus years of experience in regulatory or compliance positions at a crypto, fintech, or financial institution.

Tokenisation startup Ondo Finance is growing and wants to fill a range of senior roles.

These include chief information security officer and chief of staff to the CEO.

The Kings County District Attorney’s Office seeks a virtual currency analyst.

Kings County is the New York borough of Brooklyn, and its prosecutor’s office is one of the largest in the US.

The job involves combating crypto-related crime, tracing stolen crypto, identifying illicit transactions on the blockchain, and investigating wrongdoers.

The pay goes up to $95,000 — not bad for law enforcement.

Are you a senior executive in a crypto firm who’s just got a new job or is leaving an old one? Want to update the industry on your big career move? Send a short bio to joanna@dlnews.com.