UK watchdog to open Australian office

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will open an office in Australia so that the regulator can assist UK firms in entering the local market and vice versa.

To be based in Australia from July, Camille Blackburn has been appointed director, Asia Pacific at the FCA.

She is tasked with building out an office that will support financial services firms in navigating regulation to enter the UK market or raise capital and support UK firms looking to expanding into Australia or the broader Asia Pacific region.

Blackburn is currently director of wholesale buyside at the FCA, a role she's held since 2022. Prior, she was global chief compliance officer for Legal & General Investment Management for close to three years and held the same role at Aviva Investors for two years before that.

A native Australian, early in her career Blackburn worked in regulatory risk at Macquarie Bank and spent five years in the investment banking team at ASIC. She also served as head of compliance, Asia Pacific for Travelex and global head of compliance for Westpac's institutional bank.

In 2014, she was a principal advisor for Treasury's Financial System Inquiry, after which she made the leap to the UK to join the Central Bank of Ireland's policy and risk team.

Her appointment is part of the UK government's broader strategy to present the UK as an investment destination and hub. The FCA also established a US presence this month, tasking Tash Miah with working alongside the Department for Business and Trade to advance UK-US policy and regulatory cooperation.

"The UK is a global hub for financial services. We are committed to continuing to build our global network and international reputation. These appointments will help us deliver on our mission to support growth through the export of UK financial services and attracting more inward investment to our shores," FCA executive director, supervision, policy, competition and international, Sarah Pritchard said.

"We recognise that major international investors want easier access to us, and having a presence in these key regions will help achieve that."