New Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Smaller Business Practitioner Panel announced

Craig Errington, Group Chief Executive of specialist financial mutual Wesleyan, becomes Chair of the FCA Smaller Business Practitioner Panel from 1 April 2017. He has been a member of the Panel since May 2013.

He succeeds Clinton Askew, Director of Citywide Financial Partners.

Welcoming the appointment, FCA Chairman John Griffith-Jones said:

"The Smaller Business Practitioner Panel plays a vital role in ensuring that the voice of smaller firms in the industry is heard in the UK's regulatory system. I am sure that Craig will continue the excellent work of his predecessor and I look forward to working with him in his new role.

I would like to thank Clinton for his contribution over several years to the work of the Panel as both a member and for the last two years as Chair."

Craig Errington, Group Chief Executive of Wesleyan, said:

"The Panel plays an important part in our industry and I’m looking forward to meeting regularly with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the FCA to discuss the interests of the smaller and medium-sized firms.

These companies may not be on every high street or be well known to general consumers, but still look after billions of pounds of customers’ money and it’s important their interests, and those of their customers and members, are well represented with the FCA."

The FCA Smaller Business Practitioner Panel is an independent statutory body that represents the interests of practitioners of firms of small or medium size within their sector across the range of FCA-regulated activities. Panel members are recruited to represent both their own sector and the industry as a whole, rather than individual firms.

Notes to editors

1. The FCA Practitioner Panels are part of the system that the FCA set up to make and maintain effective arrangements for consulting practitioners and consumers on the extent to which its general policies and practices are consistent with its general duties, as set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended).
2. Appointments of the Chairs of the Statutory Panels are made by the FCA Board and are approved by HM Treasury.
3. Craig Errington is Group Chief Executive of Wesleyan, a provider of specialist financial services for doctors, dentists, teachers and lawyers. Craig marked 25 years’ service with Wesleyan last year, joining the company as a Financial Adviser in 1991 and receiving a number of rapid promotions, before being appointed to a Board position in 2002. He took up the role of Chief Executive in 2005.
4. Clinton Askew is the Director of Citywide Financial Partners. He was appointed Chair of the FCA Smaller Business Practitioner Panel on 1 April 2015, and has been a member of the Panel since 2009.
5. More details about the FCA Smaller Business Practitioner Panel[1].
6. On 1 April 2013, the FCA became responsible for the conduct supervision of all regulated financial firms and the prudential supervision of those not supervised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).
7. The FCA has an overarching strategic objective of ensuring the relevant markets function well. To support this it has three operational objectives: to secure an appropriate degree of protection for consumers; to protect and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system; and to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers.
8. Find out more information about the FCA[2].