On 21 July 2025, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US SEC) formally announced, in Release No. 2025-100, the designation of George R. Botic to serve as Acting Chair of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), effective from 23 July 2025. The decision follows the resignation of current Chair Erica Y. Williams, which takes effect on 22 July 2025.
The PCAOB, established under the United states Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, has the power to regulate and oversight of audits for public companies and broker-dealers. Under the authority of the United states Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the US SEC retains the power to appoint members and the Chairperson of the PCAOB.
In a public statement, US SEC Chairman Paul Atkins expressed his appreciation for the outgoing Chair, noting: “I thank Erica Williams for her dedicated service on the Board, and I look forward to working with George Botic as Acting Chair.”
In response, Mr Botic stated: “I am honoured to work with the US SEC and the staff of the PCAOB as Acting Chair to ensure that we meet the mission established by Congress.”
Mr. Botic, a Certified Public Accountant, was appointed to the PCAOB Board on 25 October 2023. He brings over a decade of regulatory and public accounting experience, having previously served as Director of the PCAOB’s Division of Registration and Inspections, where he oversaw registration and inspection of both domestic and international firms auditing entities traded in U.S. securities markets. His prior roles include Director of the Office of International Affairs, Special Advisor to former Chairperson James R. Doty, and Deputy Director of the Registration and Inspections Division. Before joining the PCAOB, Mr. Botic worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Manager. He is an alumnus of Shepherd University and holds a Master of Accountancy from Virginia Tech.
