FCA appoints new complaints commissioner

Somal will replace the current commissioner Antony Townsend on November 1 and will serve an initial term of three years.

Before taking her role, Somal will step down from positions as the independent assessor of the Financial Ombudsman Service, a council member on the General Medical Council, and as a senior independent panel member for public appointments at the Cabinet Office.

She will retain her positions as a judge of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and as chief commissioner at the Data and Marketing Commission.

The commissioner oversees the final stage of investigations into complaints against the FCA, PRA and the Bank of England.

Christopher Woolard, interim chief executive of the FCA, said: “We are pleased to see Amerdeep appointed to the role of complaints commissioner and we look forward to working with her.”

Somal said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this important role. The complaints commissioner plays a critical role – not only in providing people who are unhappy with financial regulators with recourse to an independent review, but also in helping them focus more widely on where they could improve the experience of all their customers.”