OCC Announces Megan Cohen Promoted to General Counsel

Cohen to succeed Janet Angstadt, who announced her retirement effective in July 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OCC, the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization, today announced the promotion of Megan Cohen to General Counsel and Corporate Secretary effective March 1, and the retirement of Chief Legal Officer Janet Angstadt in early July. Ms. Cohen will work closely with Ms. Angstadt, OCC’s Board of Directors and Management Committee to facilitate a smooth transition of responsibilities.

Since joining OCC in 2014, Ms. Cohen has served in several roles of increasing responsibility within the organization. Most recently, she was Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary leading OCC’s corporate governance functions, advising OCC’s Board and management on regulatory issues and overseeing the regulatory rule filing process with the SEC, CFTC, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

Prior to that, Ms. Cohen was an attorney at Cboe Global Markets where she focused on regulatory matters. She is a graduate of the Loyola University School of Law and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received her B.A. in English.

“Megan is a very talented attorney with a wealth of industry and institutional knowledge and is an integral part of our leadership team,” said John Davidson, OCC Chief Executive Officer. “We are very pleased for Megan to take on this role, and we offer our sincere thanks to Janet for her wise counsel and steady hand leading our legal team.”

Andrej Bolkovic, OCC Chief Executive Officer-Elect, noted, “Megan’s promotion is yet another great example of OCC’s ability to attract and retain top talent. Her contributions to OCC over her tenure, and especially as Deputy General Counsel, have been extraordinarily valuable to our organization. We are excited that she has agreed to serve as our next General Counsel.”

Angstadt commented, “Megan and I have always worked closely together throughout my years at OCC. She's a fantastic talent, and I'm delighted for her and the group.”

Bolkovic added, “We also congratulate Janet on a remarkable career and offer our sincere thanks for her years of dedication and commitment to OCC where she made a significant impact within our organization and across the broader options industry. We wish Janet well in her retirement.”

Since joining OCC in 2019, Ms. Angstadt has led and enhanced OCC’s legal, corporate governance and regulatory functions. In recent years, her role was expanded to administratively oversee OCC’s audit and compliance functions, which report directly to the Board of Directors.

Ms. Angstadt’s distinguished career includes serving as a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman for 12 years and Co-Head of the Chicago Financial Services Practice. Before that, she was Deputy General Counsel at Archipelago Holdings and became General Counsel of NYSE Arca after the company was acquired by the NYSE Group. She was also a Senior Vice President at EVEREN Securities and an associate at Schiff Hardin & Waite. She began her career in the Division of Trading and Markets at the SEC.

Craig Donohue, OCC Executive Chairman, said, “On behalf of our Board, I want to congratulate Megan on this well-deserved achievement. This remains an exciting time for OCC and our industry, and we look forward to Megan's continued leadership and collaboration across the organization as we work to ensure confidence in the financial markets.”

Donohue added, “In addition, I thank Janet for her many contributions to OCC throughout her tenure, as her legal expertise has helped to ensure OCC’s continued success throughout a period of tremendous organizational and industry transformation. We wish her well in her retirement.”

Angstadt added, “Last October when I informed OCC of my intention to retire, my priorities were to ensure a seamless transition and to complete certain regulatory matters for the company. I’ll miss OCC but I’m excited about this new chapter of my life.”

About OCC

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.

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