We have appointed Will Self as chair of our Smaller Business Practitioner Panel. He will take up the role as chair from 1 September 2025.
Following a competitive interview process, Will has been appointed to lead the independent panel in providing advice and representing the interests of smaller regulated firms to help us deliver our strategic priorities.
Welcoming the appointment, FCA chair Ashley Alder said:
'The Smaller Business Practitioner Panel plays a vital role in ensuring that the views of smaller firms are taken into account in our work. Their views will be particularly helpful as we advance the focus in our new 5-year strategy on proportionality, clarity, reducing unnecessary burdens, and support for smaller firms to explore new technologies and innovate.
'I would like to thank Andy Mielczarek for his excellent chairing of the panel since 2022 and extend a warm welcome to Will as his successor.'
Will Self said:
'I’m honoured to take on the role of chair of the FCA’s Smaller Business Practitioner Panel. Smaller firms are the backbone of financial services, driving innovation, diversity, and customer choice.
'I look forward to ensuring their voices are heard at the highest levels of regulation, and to working with the FCA to strike the right balance between protecting consumers, driving growth and enabling smaller businesses to thrive.'
More information
Will Self has been a member of the Smaller Business Practitioner Panel since 2020, and deputy chair since 2022, representing the pensions and retirement savings sector.
Prior to becoming CEO of InvestAcc Group in June 2023, he was the CEO of Curtis Banks plc, and before that, CEO of Suffolk Life (subsidiary of Legal & General), bringing hands-on experience of the Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP) sector and navigating complex regulatory landscapes, managing risk, and leading strategic initiatives.
Will is a trustee and chair of the Finance & Resources Committee of the Seckford Foundation and was chair of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices Finance & Income Generation Committee for 11 years.
The statutory panels 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.