FCA Names New Directors
Posted by Colin Lambert. Last updated: July 6, 2022
The UK regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled a raft of senior appointments, including two looking at wholesale markets.
Camille Blackburn will join the in October to the newly created role of director of wholesale buy-side. In her new role, FCA says Blackburn will be responsible for policy development and the effective supervision across asset management, alternative investments, custody banks and investment research. She will join from Legal & General Investment Management, where she is currently global chief compliance officer.
Simon Walls, who was appointed interim director in May, will continue in the role of director of wholesale, on a permanent basis, with a focus on the wholesale sell-side.
Matthew Long has been appointed as director of payments and digital assets, a new role overseeing the e-money, payment and crypto-asset markets and leading related policy development. He is currently a director within the UK’s National Economic Crime Command within the National Crime Agency, which has a strategic leadership role for economic crime and illicit finance. He also led the UK Financial Intelligence Unit, and will also join the FCA in October.
As well as new appointments in consumer finance and retail, the FCA has also named Karen Baxter to its enforcement team as director of strategy, policy, international and intelligence. In her role, Baxter will lead the specialised functions that support the breadth of the FCA’s enforcement and market oversight activities, helping ensure it has the tools it needs to do its work effectively. She will join in September after a 30-year policing career, holding senior roles including as commander and national coordinator for economic crime at the City of London Police.
“As our remit grows and to deliver on our ambitious strategy, we’re continuing to develop and bring in the skills and talent we need,” says Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA. “My executive committee colleagues and I are delighted to announce the latest additions to our leadership team, who will each bring deep expertise and broad experience to the FCA.”