Kurt Schacht, JD, CFA, is Managing Director for CFA Institute’s professional standards and government relations area. He leads the Institute’s policy work, including research and commentary on financial industry ethics, regulation and professional standards including the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, the Global Investment Performance Standards, and the Asset Manager Code of Professional Conduct.
Prior to joining CFA Institute, Mr. Schacht served as chief operating officer for a mutual fund complex, general counsel and chief compliance officer for a Manhattan based hedge fund, and as chief legal officer for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.
Mr. Schacht is currently serving as Chairman of the Investor Advisory Committee for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He also serves as a Trustee on the IFRS Foundation which oversees the International Accounting Standards Board. He previously served on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Standing Advisory Group, the SEC’s Advisory Committee for Smaller Public Companies looking at the market impacts of Sarbanes Oxley and the Expert Group for Principles for Responsible Investment of the United Nations Environment Programme. Schacht is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and was voted NYSSA’s 2004 Volunteer of the Year. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a Law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.