Developing Technology and Helping Facilitate Prosperity

The Commission’s development of technology such as its Early Warning System and new Applications and Authorisation Portal has demonstrated its commitment to efficiency and effectiveness enhancing technologies. The Commission appreciates that continued technological evolution by it and our core economic sector is important for the future prosperity of the Bailiwick.

Further to this work, the Commission is pleased to announce that, as part of its ongoing programme to develop greater technological skills and ensure the Bailiwick is appropriately positioned internationally as an attractive hub for business, it has made the following appointments:

1. Conor Osborough has been appointed as Head of the Commission’s Technology Innovation Unit which focuses on ensuring that the Commission is developing and using newer technologies such as AI internally to maximise effectiveness and efficiency.
2. Liam Cunningham has been appointed as Head of the Commission’s Technology Supervision Unit which focuses on ensuring that the Commission has the right skills to understand appropriately the newer technologies and cyber defences employed by the firms it regulates.
3. Nick Herquin has been appointed as Head of International Co-operation and Economic Enhancement. He will be focused on ensuring that the Commission is making the most of international information which flows to it from other regulatory bodies, working alongside Kevin Bown, Deputy Director, Intelligence. He will also undertake work on other jurisdictions’ regulatory positioning - seeking best practice - thereby helping ensure Guernsey’s regulations remain appropriately optimised taking into account the explicit national competitiveness objectives recently given to several other noteworthy financial services regulators.

These appointments relate to current Commission officers who, in addition to these new responsibilities, continue to be Deputy Directors in, respectively the Risk and Operations Division, the Banking and Insurance Division and the Financial Crime Division.  

Commenting on these appointments the Director General William Mason noted: “Now that the rigorous MONEYVAL assessment is over the Commission has made these appointments, alongside its appointment of Michelle Pettinger as Head of Information Technology in 2024, to ensure that it is well-equipped to take advantage of the revolution in AI and associated technologies. They are also designed to signal our commitment to the Bailiwick having sensible and usable regulations which match best practice in other significant international finance centres.”