Smead Capital Taps Veteran CCO to Guide Institutional Growth

PHOENIX, AZ – April 01, 2026 – Smead Capital Management, a prominent Phoenix-based investment firm known for its value investing discipline, has appointed Brian Briggs as its new Chief Compliance Officer. The strategic hire brings a compliance heavyweight with over two decades of institutional experience to the firm as it navigates a period of significant growth and an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Briggs, who officially assumes his role today, will be responsible for overseeing Smead’s entire compliance program, including regulatory adherence, internal policies, and risk management. The move is widely seen as a proactive step by the firm to solidify its institutional infrastructure and support its long-term strategic vision.

A Veteran Hand for an Expanding Firm

Brian Briggs joins Smead Capital from OneMain Financial, where he served as VP/Director of Regulatory Compliance. However, it is his extensive tenure at T. Rowe Price Associates that underscores the depth of experience he brings to the Phoenix firm. For over 20 years, Briggs was a key figure in the compliance division of the global asset management giant, ultimately serving as Director of Investments and Trading Compliance.

In that capacity, he was responsible for managing intricate regulatory programs and firmwide risk frameworks for one of the industry's most established players. This background provides him with a deep understanding of the operational and regulatory pressures faced by large-scale investment managers. Briggs holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University, a combination of business and systems-thinking expertise that is highly valued in modern compliance leadership.

Cole Smead, CEO and Portfolio Manager of Smead Capital Management, highlighted the strategic fit of Briggs' background with the firm's culture and objectives. "At Smead, we value leaders who act with conviction and bring deep expertise in service of our investors," he stated. "Brian's institutional background and breadth of compliance experience make him exceptionally well-suited to support the long game we are playing on behalf of the individuals, advisors, family offices, and institutions who invest with us. We are proud to welcome him to the team."

The appointment comes as Smead Capital continues to cement its position as one of Arizona's largest investment managers, with $5.81 billion in assets under management as of February 28, 2026. This growth necessitates a compliance framework capable of supporting an expanding platform and a diverse global client base.

Navigating a Complex Regulatory Tides

Briggs steps into his new role at a critical juncture for the asset management industry, which faces a wave of evolving and intensifying regulatory demands. His leadership will be pivotal in steering Smead Capital through a landscape marked by heightened scrutiny in several key areas.

One of the most pressing challenges is cybersecurity. Regulators, including the SEC, have made it a top priority, with recent amendments to Regulation S-P mandating robust incident response programs for unauthorized access to customer data. With compliance deadlines looming in 2025 and 2026, firms are under pressure to fortify their defenses against data breaches and cyber threats, a crucial task for protecting client information and maintaining trust.

Furthermore, the rise of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has brought with it a regulatory focus on preventing "greenwashing." The SEC has initiated enforcement actions against firms for misstatements related to ESG-marketed funds. For a global investor like Smead, ensuring that any ESG-related communications and strategies are transparent and accurately represented is paramount to avoiding regulatory pitfalls and meeting client expectations.

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in finance presents another frontier of risk and regulation. As firms leverage AI for everything from portfolio optimization to risk modeling, compliance leaders must grapple with issues of data governance, model explainability, and the potential for new types of systemic risk. Establishing a framework for the ethical and responsible use of AI is becoming a core component of a modern compliance program. Briggs' engineering background may prove particularly valuable in navigating these technologically complex issues.

Finally, new Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules from FinCEN, set to bring registered investment advisers under the "financial institution" definition, will require the establishment of comprehensive AML programs by 2028. Proactively building this framework will be a significant undertaking for any CCO.

Compliance as a Cornerstone of the 'Long Game'

For Smead Capital Management, this investment in compliance leadership is more than a defensive measure; it is an integral part of its core investment philosophy. The firm is built on a "disciplined, long-term investing" approach, famously described as playing "the long game." This strategy involves a low-turnover, concentrated portfolio of what the firm identifies as wonderful companies purchased at attractive prices.

This patient, benchmark-agnostic style requires an exceptionally high degree of trust between the firm and its investors. Clients who commit capital for the long term must have confidence not only in the investment strategy but also in the operational integrity and ethical foundation of the firm managing their wealth. A robust compliance framework, therefore, acts as a critical pillar supporting this trust. It ensures that the firm's operations are sound, its fiduciary responsibilities are met without fail, and its reputation remains unblemished.

In his own statement, Briggs acknowledged this unique interplay between compliance and culture. “Smead has built a distinctive culture rooted in disciplined, long-term investing,” he said. "I look forward to strengthening the firm’s compliance framework in a way that supports that philosophy while helping the business scale responsibly.”

His objective is not to impose constraints but to build a resilient structure that enables Smead's investment philosophy to thrive as the firm grows. By managing regulatory risk effectively, the compliance function frees the investment team to focus on its differentiated value discipline: finding undervalued opportunities and holding them with conviction. This alignment ensures that as Smead Capital attracts more sophisticated institutional clients and expands its global reach, its foundational principles remain securely in place, safeguarding the interests of all its investors for decades to come. The appointment signals a clear commitment to building an enduring institution capable of navigating future challenges while staying true to its core mission.