The Legal Services Board (LSB) today announces the appointment of Georgina Philippou as a new lay member of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC).
The OLC is the Board of the Legal Ombudsman, and this appointment has been made by the LSB in accordance with the Legal Services Act 2007.
Georgina has an extensive career in financial services regulation, spanning 30 years. She was previously Chief Operating Officer of the Financial Conduct Authority. Before that, she was Acting Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight; before that, she was Director of Strategy and Delivery in the Enforcement and Financial Crime Division.
Georgina is a member of the Financial Reporting Council’s independent Tribunal. She is on the International Monetary Fund Expert Panel, Vice Chair of Ad Centrum, Armstrong Wolfe’s diversity and inclusion initiative, and Executive Sponsor of The Diversity Project’s Disability work stream.
Georgina has been appointed to the OLC for a four-year term from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2028.
Commenting on the appointment, Alan Kershaw, Chair of the Legal Services Board, said:
‘I am delighted to congratulate Georgina on this appointment. Her professional experience and demonstrable commitment to diversity and inclusion will make a significant contribution to the work of the Office for Legal Complaints as it continues to ensure that people who use legal services can seek redress when things go wrong and have confidence that they will be listened to and treated fairly.’
Elisabeth Davies, Chair of the Office for Legal Complaints, said:
‘Georgina will be joining the OLC at such a significant time, as we embark on a new strategy period for the Legal Ombudsman (LeO). Her commitment and invaluable experience will significantly benefit the work of the OLC and our focus on ensuring the ambition for LeO’s service and impact deliver for both the public and the profession.
I would like to take this opportunity to also extend my sincere thanks on behalf of the OLC, to Jane Martin for her valuable service and contributions as a Board Member over the last six years.’
Georgina Philippou said:
‘I am pleased to be joining the Office for Legal Complaints and look forward to working with the Board to progress the valuable work they do.’
Biography
Georgina started her working life as a researcher in a major accountancy firm before moving on to become an investment analyst for an institutional client stock broker and then a major investment bank.
Georgina’s career in financial services regulation began in 1992 when she joined the Securities and Investments Board (one of the FCA’s predecessor organisations), specialising in investigations, particularly of unauthorised businesses. She rose to FCA Acting Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight in 2014, and she has extensive enforcement experience across all areas of financial services, including dispute resolution through settlement and mediation, involving a range of financial services firms.
Georgina chaired the International Organisation of Securities Commissions’ (IOSCO) Committee on Enforcement and the Exchange of Information and its Screening Group, which assesses applications to sign the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) between 2008 and 2016. Her committees delivered IOSCO’s Credible Deterrence report and the new Enhanced MMoU.
Georgina became the FCA’s Chief Operating Officer in November 2015 and held the position for five years. As COO, Georgina chaired the FCA’s Executive Diversity Committee, its Executive Operations Committee and the Public Sector Equality Duty working group. She led the organisation’s move to cloud-based technology and the operational response to the covid pandemic.
Georgina became the FCA’s Senior Adviser on the Public Sector Equality Duty in January 2021 and helped drive the FCA’s proposals for greater DEI across the financial services industry. During this time, she was a member of the City of London Social Mobility Task Force, helped with the creation of Progress Together, the new financial services social mobility membership body, and instigated the DEI Pledges of the UK Regulators’ Network.
Georgina retired from regulation in 2022 after almost exactly thirty years. She is now building a portfolio career around regulation, diversity and inclusion and volunteering at her local Magistrate’s court. She is a member of the Financial Reporting Council’s independent Tribunal, she is on the International Monetary Fund Expert Panel, she is Vice Chair of Ad Centrum, Armstrong Wolfe’s D&I initiative, and she is Executive Sponsor of The Diversity Project’s Disability work stream.