[ by Howard Haykin ]

The SEC dipped into its alumni pool for its next Chief of Enforcement's Office of Market Intelligence, which was created in 2010 as part of a major restructuring of the Enforcement Division.  The Market Intelligence unit collects and evaluates thousands of tips, complaints, and referrals that come into the SEC each year.  Lori Walsh, who's been serving as Acting Chief of Market Intelligence, will return to her regular position of Deputy Chief for the unit.

Vincente Martinez, served as one of the first assistant directors in the SEC’s Office of Market Intelligence, then left the SEC in 2011 for the CFTC to serve as that Agency's first Director of the Whistleblower Office.  At the CFTC, Mr. Martinez has interacted with whistleblowers and their representatives, developed the CFTC’s pols and procedures for handling whistleblower matters, and worked to raise awareness of the CFTC’s whistleblower program - a unit created under Dodd-Frank.

Robert Khuzami, the outgoing Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, had this to say about the appointment:  “Our Office of Market Intelligence employs next-generation technology and data analysis to inform and drive our enforcement effort and priorities in the years to come. Vince has the vision and dedication to lead that effort given his talent, commitment, and prior service to the SEC.”

Mr. Martinez, who plans to return to the SEC next month, previously worked 8 years in SEC Enforcement.  He began in 2003 as a staff attorney and later became a senior counsel.  He served on a task force devoted to pursuing accounting frauds.  When he shifted to the Office of Market Intelligence in 2010, Martinez played a key role in developing Enforcement and SEC-wide policies and procedures for handling tips, complaints, and referrals, cultivating cooperative relationships with other government agencies and SROs.

During his earlier stint with the SEC, Mr. Martinez received 2 SEC awards: 

• 2011 Chairman’s Award for Excellence and Business Operations Award; 
• 2007 Enforcement Division Director’s Award.

When Not Working for Government ...  Martinez was a litigator and corporate lawyer in private practice for 6 years. He graduated from Georgetown and the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC-Berkeley. 

For further details, go to:   [SEC PR 13-8, 1/22/13].