In December 2012 Paul A. Beswick was named Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Paul was previously named Acting Chief Accountant in July 2012. In his role as Chief Accountant, Paul oversees the Office of the Chief Accountant’s efforts to establish and enforce accounting and auditing policy to enhance the transparency and relevancy of financial reports and for improving the professional performance of public company auditors.
Prior to being named Chief Accountant, Paul was the Deputy Chief Accountant (Accounting). In this role, Paul was responsible for the accounting group’s efforts to work closely with domestic private-sector accounting bodies such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). Registrants, auditors, as well as the Divisions of Corporation Finance, Enforcement and Investment Management regularly consult with the Office of the Chief Accountant regarding the application of accounting standards and financial disclosure requirements. Additionally, Paul continues to serve as an observer to the FASB’s Emerging Issues Task Force.
Previously Paul served as Deputy Chief Accountant (Professional Practice) and the Senior Advisor to the Chief Accountant. Prior to joining the SEC, Paul was a partner at Ernst & Young where he specialized in advising publicly registered multi-national companies on SEC and U.S. GAAP reporting matters. From July 2005 to June 2007, Paul was a Practice Fellow with the FASB in Norwalk, CT. In his role, Paul advised members of the FASB and Emerging Issues Task Force on guidance related to current application and implementation issues. Paul received a B.S. degree in accounting from Miami (Ohio) University.