The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has confirmed Chief Executive Samantha Barrass will not be seeking re-appointment when her five-year term concludes next year.
FMA Chairman Steven Bardy said Barrass advised the FMA’s board at the end of 2025 that she was unlikely to seek a further five-year term, due to emerging family needs in the UK.
The board has been preparing the recruitment process for the chief executive for a new term since then and will shortly begin the recruitment process to appoint a successor, according to Bardy.
“Samantha has provided strong leadership through a period of significant expansion for the FMA, including the implementation of the Conduct of Financial Institutions [CoFI] regime. Her regulatory experience has been invaluable as the FMA has navigated a challenging global environment and prepared to take on credit regulation,” he said.
Barrass joined the FMA in 2022 and has been at the regulator for four and a half years, having previously led the establishment of Britain’s Business Banking Resolution Service, which is designed to resolve disputes between banks and business customers.
Between 2014 and 2019, Barrass was CEO of Gibraltar's Financial Services Commission, where her role included conduct and prudential regulatory oversight. Before that, she worked for nine years in a range of roles at Britain's Financial Services Authority, now known as the Financial Conduct Authority.
Barrass will conclude her term at the FMA in January 2027.
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