We have appointed Chris Pond as chair of our Financial Services Consumer Panel.
Starting his role as chair from 2 June 2025, Chris Pond will lead the independent panel in providing advice and representing the interests of consumers to help us deliver our strategic priorities.
Welcoming the appointment, FCA chair Ashley Alder said:
'The Financial Services Consumer Panel plays a vital role in bringing the consumer viewpoint into our decisions, particularly as we advance our new 5-year strategy to build trust, drive innovation, and support consumers in managing their financial lives.
'I would like to thank Helen Charlton for her fantastic leadership of the panel since 2022 and extend a warm welcome to Chis Pond as her successor.'
Chris Pond said:
'I’m excited to join the panel at a pivotal time, helping balance consumer protection with the responsible risk-taking needed for economic growth and improved living standards. I look forward to ensuring that consumer voices remain central to building trust in our financial systems.'
More information
The statutory panels[1] were set up to make and maintain effective arrangements for consulting consumers and practitioners on the extent to which the FCA’s general policies and practices are consistent with its general duties, as set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended).
Appointments of the chairs of the statutory panels are agreed by the FCA Board and approved by the Treasury.
Chris Pond has worked on consumer and social justice issues for many years, having been CEO of two national charities and a trustee of many others. He has served on numerous public bodies, including those reporting to the Department of Health, HMRC and the Treasury, and has been awarded honorary visiting professorships at two universities. Chris served as an MP and Work and Pensions Minister before taking over as CEO of Gingerbread: the National Council for One Parent Families and then as director of financial capability with the Financial Services Authority.
He currently chairs TrustMark, the Advisory Board for the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute and an asbestos-compensation scheme (Cape Claims Services Ltd). He is an independent director with MOSL, the market operator for business water services, but will be stepping down as Chair of the independent Financial Inclusion Commission and from advisory roles with Fairer Finance and the Equity Release Council.