Paul Atkins, Mr. Trump's nominee to chair the SEC, was reluctant to accept the job, according to people familiar with Mr. Atkins's thinking, who said the job was unappealing to him because of the amount of work needed to "turn around a bloated institution" that he blamed on the mismanagement of Gary Gensler, the outgoing chairperson of the Securities Exchange Commission. Atkins is the founder and CEO of Patomak Global Partners, a global consulting firm focused on strategy, risk management and regulatory compliance. Patomak provides services to cryptocurrency companies, but they are only a small part of its diversified business, which also includes traditional financial clients, public companies, trade associations, law firms, banks and insurance companies. According to insiders, Paul Atkins is unwilling to leave his company, and a position as SEC chairperson would require him to step down from his business interests, which he would only do if the company could operate normally without him.