In an announcement today, Starwood Property Trust, a commercial real estate finance company based in Greenwich, Connecticut, said Andrew J. Sossen joined the company on January 14 as EVP, general counsel, and chief compliance officer.

“We are pleased to welcome Andrew to Starwood,” said Mr. Sternlicht, CEO of Starwood Property Trust. “We expect Andrew’s experience to add significant strength to the company’s senior management team as we continue to expand our business.”

Prior to joining the company, Sossen served as general counsel of KKR Financial Holdings LLC and KKR Asset Management. There, he was a member of senior management and was integrally involved in the policy and strategic decision-making process, as well as the day-to-day operations of the business. His legal career began at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s corporate department specializing in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.

Sossen replaced Ellis F. Rinaldi as the company’s general counsel and assumed the role of chief compliance officer from Barbara J. Anderson, the company’s CFO. Rinaldi will remain as director of Starwood Property Trust and co-general counsel and an EVP of Starwood Capital Group, a global private real estate investment firm.