People & leadership

Samantha Barrass

Chief Executive

Samantha has extensive international regulatory experience, most recently as Chief Executive of UK’s Business Banking Resolution Service, a dispute resolution scheme for banks and business customers. Prior to that she was Chief Executive of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, which oversees the prudential and conduct regulation of Gibraltar’s financial services sector. She has held a number of other senior roles at finance regulators and industry associations, including the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and the London Investment Banking Association. Samantha grew up in Christchurch. She studied Economics at the University of Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington and gained an MSc from the London School of Economics, before beginning her career as an economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Clare Bolingford

Executive Director, Regulatory Delivery

Clare is responsible for directing, planning and delivery of the FMA’s core regulatory functions across licensing, engagement and supervision of regulated individuals and firms. She is leading the FMA’s implementation of the new conduct regime for banks, insurers and non-bank deposit takers, the new financial advice regime, and the Climate-related Disclosures regime.

Clare’s experience includes almost 20 years with the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, in a variety of policy, change implementation and supervision roles, including oversight of large banking groups and financial advisers. She also spent two years at the UK Treasury, leading capital markets and prudential policy.

Liam Mason

Executive Director, Evaluation & Oversight and General Counsel

Liam is responsible for a broad range of audit, risk, legal and governance matters along with evaluating the effectiveness of regulatory interventions and activity. He remains the FMA General Counsel. Liam has been with the FMA since its inception. He has extensive experience in securities law and corporate governance matters, advising on securities and financial services law and policy, Crown entity governance and legal compliance. Liam has previously led frontline teams overseeing the FMA’s compliance frameworks, licensing, knowledge management and intelligence, and fintech functions.

Louise Unger

Executive Director, Response and Enforcement

Louise joined the FMA from the Commerce Commission, where she was the General Manager of the Credit branch leading the team that regulates the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, as well as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Prior to joining the Commission, she specialised in risk and compliance at Lawyers on Demand NZ, an international law firm. She has significant expertise providing legal, risk and compliance services to a range of New Zealand and international organisations, including banks, telecommunications and electricity companies. Louise brings particular strength in the financial services industry, having led legal and risk teams at Bank of New Zealand across a period of 12 years.

Daniel Trinder

Executive Director, Strategy & Design

Daniel is responsible for leading the strategy and direction setting for the FMA, ensuring a clear view of the systems, priorities and regulatory design is developed and communicated across a broad range of external stakeholders. He has extensive experience in developing and delivering strategic direction, capability and planning, implementing policy and legislative changes, while leading successful and diverse teams at a global level. He has over twenty-five years’ experience in strategy, policy and regulatory affairs including senior roles at HM Treasury in the UK, the IMF, international investment banking firms, as an advisor to central banks and international organisations, and as a consultant on strategy, policy, and governance to several firms and institutions. His most recent role was at Binance, and he has also held senior global roles at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs.

Kari Jones

Executive Director for Transformation and Operational Delivery