New Chairman and Vice-Chairman for the Commission

The Guernsey Financial Services Commission is pleased to note that John Aspden has been appointed as Chairman following approval by the States of Deliberation. John, who has been a Commissioner since 2017 and Vice-Chairman since February 2023, has taken over from Julian Winser who retired as Chairman and Commissioner in May. The Commission has also elected a new Vice-Chairman, Anna Guggenheim KC.

In addition to his role at the Commission, John is Chairman of the Group of International Finance Centre Supervisors and co-chairs the Basel Consultative Group. John has had a noteworthy executive career in international finance including being Managing Director of Matheson InvestNet Ltd, at the time Hong Kong’s largest independent distributor of, and adviser on, collective investments for retail investors. John also held the role of Deputy General Manager of the International Bank of Asia Ltd. He was Chief Executive of the Financial Supervision Commission in the Isle of Man from 1998 to 2015, where he was responsible for the regulation and supervision of all banking, securities and funds, trusts and companies, and money transmission activities. Prior to that, he worked in banking supervision at the Bank of England and at the Office of the Commissioner of Banking in Hong Kong, now HKMA. He was made an MBE for his work in financial services.

Anna was appointed as a Commissioner in January 2024. From 2014 until 2023 she was a partner in the dispute resolution team at Babbé LLP in Guernsey, undertaking litigation and mediation in the fields of financial services, trusts and banking. She was called as an Advocate of the Guernsey Bar in 2016. Before moving to Guernsey, Anna practised as a barrister, and sat as a Circuit Judge, in London. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1982 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2001. 

Speaking about the appointment, John said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Chairman as we look forward to 2025, the outcome of the Bailiwick’s MONEYVAL evaluation, and to delivering on our considerable investment in technology to help the Bailiwick remain an attractive domicile for financial services firms.  I am pleased to welcome Anna as Vice-Chairman. She brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and professional expertise to the role.

“Finally, I would like to thank my predecessor Julian Winser for his valuable and encouraging leadership and wish him all the best for the future.”