Around the house

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a number of appointments. Willkie Farr & Gallagher New York partner Robert Stebbins will become general counsel of the SEC. Mr Stebbins takes over from Sanket Bulsara, the SEC’s acting chief legal officer following general counsel Anne Small's departure earlier this year. Jaime Klima, co-chief of staff under then-acting chairman Michael Piwowar, will be SEC chairman Jay Clayton’s chief counsel. Sullivan & Cromwell associate Sean Memon will become deputy chief of staff to SEC chairman Jay Clayton. 

BMG has appointed Ama Walton as head of business and legal affairs and general counsel Europe.The German media lawyer will be based in the Bertelsmann-owned company’s Berlin head office. She joins BMG from German independent film production and distribution company Constantin Film. Ms Walton previously worked for TV station ProSiebenSat1, followed by Virgin Schallplatten GmbH and the former EMI Music Germany. 

Legendary Entertainment has seen its chief legal counsel Martin Whillhite leave the company. Mr Whillhite, who has been head of legal since 2011,  was formerly a partner at Los Angeles law firm Munger Tolles & Olson. The company, which was acquired by Wanda in 2006, has made a number of other executive changes. 

Texas company HD Vest, a leading independent financial services firm providing wealth management solutions, specifically through tax professionals, has appointed David Peavler as general counsel. Mr Peavler joins from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Fort Worth Regional Office, where he served as the associate director in charge of the agency's enforcement efforts in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. During his 15-year tenure with the SEC, Mr. Peavler conducted and led a number of significant investigations across multiple industries. Prior to joining the SEC, he was a partner in the trial section of Locke Liddell (now Locke Lord), where he primarily represented major accounting firms in auditing malpractice and securities class actions, and he also served as in-house counsel with Phillips Petroleum Company and ConocoPhillips, handling general corporate and transactional matters.

Global chemical and ingredients distributor Univar has named Jeffrey Carr as general counsel and corporate secretary. Mr Carr brings more than 30 years of experience in corporate law, including more than 10 years as the general counsel and secretary of FMC Technologies, a diversified manufacturing company serving energy, air transport and food processing industries. As general counsel, he  was responsible for oversight of governance, regulatory, compliance, commercial, litigation, securities and other corporate matters. He also developed unique legal delivery concepts that drove process excellence and efficiency for the legal function. Mr Carr most recently served as president of ValoremNext, part of the ValoremGroup, a company dedicated to changing the delivery of legal services. Prior to his role at FMC Technologies, Mr Carr practiced international trade law in Washington DC.