The FCA has made three senior hires including a former Goldman Sachs managing director and a new director of competition.

More senior hires are also expected to be announced soon, the regulator said, as it goes on a hiring spree.

Former managing director at Goldman Sachs Mel Gunewardena will take up the role of senior adviser role at the FCA. 

Mr Gunewardena is currently chief market intelligence officer at the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission in Washington DC, USA. He will join the FCA in mid-May. 

Graeme Reynolds has been appointed as director of competition and is currently one of the FCA’s deputy chief economists. He will lead the FCA’s competition market studies and investigate competition enforcement cases.  

Mr Reynolds has been deputy chief economist and head of department for economic and financial analysis at the FCA since 2017, and was previously a manager in the FCA’s Competition Division. He spent nearly 10 years at the Competition Commission (now the Competition and Markets Authority) as director of remedies, business and financial analysis, and as an economic adviser. He is a former economic consultant with Deloitte and Andersen. 

Simon Walls has been appointed as an interim wholesale director after being been head of wholesale markets since 2016. He has been with the FCA/FSA since 2006 in various wholesale roles, including 7 years in asset management supervision. 

The FCA is currently recruiting two permanent wholesale directors to join the FCA’s supervision, policy and competition senior leadership team.  

The FCA, which faces strike action by Unite members at the regulator, says it has recruited over 250 staff this year as staff turnover returns to pre-pandemic levels.  

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said: “I continue to be impressed and encouraged by the talent, both internal and external, putting themselves forward to lead our organisation. 

“I look forward to working closely with Mel when he joins and congratulate Graeme and Simon on their promotions. We anticipate having more senior appointments to announce soon.”