Former FCA head joins Duff & Phelps

The former head of the markets policy and international division at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Nick Bayley has joined Duff & Phelps as managing director in its compliance and regulatory consulting practice in London.

Bayley, who left the FCA in January, worked as senior markets advisor and was responsible for the regulator’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) policy project. 

During the four years he spent at the FCA, he also worked in the enforcement division, where he oversaw a range of regularity and criminal markets cases involving LIBOR manipulation, insider deal market manipulation and misleading statements, according to a statement from Duff & Phelps.

Prior to joining the FCA, he worked as head of regulation at the London Stock Exchange for almost a decade.

In his new role, Bayley will lead Duff & Phelps’ wholesale markets practice and will particularly focus on assisting clients to prepare for forthcoming markets regulation such as MiFID II and Market Abuse Regulation (MAR).

“We are delighted that [Bayley] has joined our compliance and regulatory consulting team. [His] extensive expertise will be instrumental in helping our clients internationally prepare for MiFID II and other regulatory challenges,” said Julian Korek, global head of compliance and regulatory consulting at Duff & Phelps.

Korek, the founder and chief executive officer of regulatory compliance and consulting services firm Kinetic, has led Duff & Phelps’ financial compliance and regulatory practice since it was created in January 2015, as a result of its acquisition of Kinetic.

Bayley’s hire comes after the firm completed its most recent acquisition of provider of compliance and regulatory advisory services CounselWorks in January this year. The acquisition adds to the strength of the Duff & Phelps’ compliance and regulatory practice in the US.