On Tuesday, the Financial Conduct Authority said Kirsty Cooper will take over as chair of the Listing Authority Advisory Panel (LAAP), with effect from 1 July 2026. It also reappointed Clare Woodman as chair of the FCA Markets Practitioner Panel and Matt Hammerstein as chair of the FCA Practitioner Panel, both from 1 August 2026.
The statutory panels support the FCA’s policy development and represent the interests of consumers and financial services firms, including smaller regulated firms. The chairs are approved by the Treasury and agreed by the FCA Board.
Cooper, a non-executive director at Scottish Widows Group and Aon UK, succeeds Mandy Gradden. Her career spans more than 30 years in insurance and financial services, including a stint as Group General Counsel at Aviva. Woodman is CEO of Morgan Stanley & Co. International, and Hammerstein is CEO of Barclays UK Corporate Bank.
“I am pleased to welcome Kirsty to the role of Chair of the LAAP at a time of change across markets,” said Ashley Alder, FCA Chair.
Cooper takes over as the LAAP advises on the FCA’s ongoing wholesale market and listing reforms, which the regulator described in 2024 as the most far-reaching changes to the listing regime in more than three decades.
