Anthony Belchambers has announced his intention to step down as Chief Executive of the Futures and Options Association (FOA) to seek other challenges in the industry. He will, however, stay on as Special Advisor to the Board during this time of intense regulatory and market upheaval.
Anthony will be succeeded by Simon Puleston Jones, who joins the FOA as Chief Executive on 10 March 2014 from Barclays' Investment Bank (previously known as Barclays Capital). Simon currently heads the European legal coverage for Futures and OTC Clearing for Barclays and is one of their lead lawyers dealing with regulatory change. He is also Chair of the FOA’s Legal Working Group and has led much of the FOA’s regulator engagement in Europe on the legal side with respect to EMIR implementation issues.
Anthony founded the FOA, with the support of a number of European exchanges, in 1993 and has been at the helm during the past two decades which have seen the Association’s membership and influence grow significantly.
Anthony says: “I feel very privileged to have led the FOA through the establishment of a single European financial services market and, more recently, a period of unprecedented regulatory change. I am confident that the affiliation with the FIA, along with enhanced resources, the high quality of our staff and a strong value-for-money ethos means that FOA is well placed to handle the challenges of the future. I am particularly delighted that Simon will be the new FOA CEO. He will do an excellent job and I wish him well in this new role.”
FOA chairman Steve Sparke says: “On behalf of the Board and the membership, I would like to thank Anthony for the huge commitment he has shown to the FOA throughout the last twenty years. Under his stewardship, vision and with limited resources, the FOA has moved from strength to strength and has become a key part of the success and development of the listed derivatives industry. As Chairman of FOA I must also add my personal thanks to Anthony; he has been a pleasure and inspiration to work with and we wish him every success with his future endeavours.
“At the same time, we are delighted to welcome Simon to the FOA. We know that he will be able to build on Anthony’s successes and will steer the association forward as it continues to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Simon will play a pivotal role in the next era for the FOA, particularly as our affiliation within the FIA Global group progresses.”
Simon says: “I am delighted to be joining the FOA. Anthony has developed an outstanding legacy, which stands as a testament to his enduring passion for the industry and his professionalism over the years. In coordination with Walt Lukken and all at the FIA, I look to forward to working with Anthony in his new role, the members, the staff and the Board of the FOA to deliver my vision for the FOA to provide relevant and influential thought leadership, as the voice of the cleared derivatives industry.”
Anthony Belchambers biography:
Anthony Belchambers is a barrister and Chief Executive of the Futures and Options Association (FOA), the European trade association for the listed derivatives industry. He is Vice-Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum (EPFSF).
Anthony initiated the establishment of the UK’s Associate Parliamentary Group on Wholesale Financial Markets and Services; and, in 2005, he founded and is the principal spokesman for the Transatlantic Coalition on Financial Regulation.
Previously he served as General Counsel for the UK Joint Exchanges Committee (JEC) where his responsibilities included co-ordinating exchange activities and lobbying on behalf of the London-based derivatives markets in relation to international, EU and UK regulation and taxation issues. Prior to joining the JEC, he was in practice at the criminal bar for six years before becoming Company Secretary and General Counsel to the Association of Futures Brokers and Dealers (AFBD), one of the original five self-regulatory organisations set up under the 1986 Financial Services Act.
Simon Puleston Jones biography:
Simon joins the FOA from the legal department of Barclays’ investment bank, at which he has headed the European legal coverage of their Futures business since 2007 and OTC Clearing since Jan 2012. Earlier in his career, he covered Barclays’ structured credit, cash CDO and fixed income rates businesses and, prior to joining Barclays, spent seven years in private practice in the Capital Markets Group of Simmons & Simmons, the City law firm.
Over recent years, Simon has focussed increasingly on regulatory change as one of the lead lawyers covering EMIR, CRDIV and FCA Client Money Rules implementation for Barclays. He has worked closely with the FOA and its members for many years, chairing the FOA’s Legal Working Group and leading its engagement with European regulators on the legal side with respect to EMIR implementation issues.
