Petal Walker

Petal Walker is a managing director in Risk & Financial Advisory/Regulatory & Legal Support, at Deloitte & Touche LLP. Petal aids futures commissioner merchants, introducing brokers, swap dealers, and other intermediaries, exchanges, clearinghouses, as well as exchanges and intermediaries in the digital assets space to establish processes and procedures that are regulatorily compliant.

Petal has also advised market participants such as banks, funds, brokers, commercial companies, exchanges and clearinghouses, about compliance obligations for the derivatives markets. She rendered advice to these entities regarding the Dodd-Frank requirements in a number of areas, including supervision, surveillance, remediation, investigations, self-reporting, disclosure, reporting, product definition, and risk management. Petal aided clients in enforcement matters, including self-reporting, responding to investigations, preparing witnesses, negotiating with federal agencies, and determining remediation measures.

Prior to rejoining WilmerHale, Petal served as chief counsel for Commissioner Sharon Bowen at the CFTC, where she advised on a variety of significant derivatives-related issues—including interaction of the three levels of supervision, surveillance of diverse markets, actual delivery, blockchain, execution methods, algorithmic trading, reporting requirements, capital, margin, and cross-border harmonization. Petal also led the CFTC's Market Risk Advisory Committee.

Petal has also worked with firms on increasing diversity. She led the effort at Investment Adviser Association to create “A Practical Guide to Building Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Your Firm.” Petal also serves as a Director on Women in Derivatives (WIND) and Chair of its Leadership Committee, which helps attract, retain, and develop women in finance.