PSR appoints Kate Fitzgerald as Head of Policy

After a competitive recruitment process the PSR has appointed Kate Fitzgerald as its Head of Policy.

Kate will be responsible for leading the development and delivery of the PSR’s portfolio of policy projects. This work delivers improvements in how payment systems, and the markets they support, operate and deliver for people and businesses across the UK. She is responsible for projects that are tackling payment fraud, unlocking the potential of Open Banking and account-to-account payments, and overseeing the renewal of Faster Payments.

Kate has been serving as the PSR’s interim Head of Policy since the summer and therefore starts work immediately. Before that Kate was a senior adviser to the PSR.

Commenting on the appointment, PSR Managing Director Chris Hemsley, said:

“I’m delighted to appoint Kate as our new Head of Policy. This is a key position at the PSR and she brings considerable knowledge and experience from her previous industry roles in banking and payments. Kate takes on this new role at an important time and her contribution will be invaluable as we make sure the markets we oversee deliver for people and businesses.”

Kate Fitzgerald said:

“This is such an important time for payments and the PSR. Every one of us relies on payment systems to live our daily lives. They also underpin our economy and help businesses grow. We’ve got an important job to do in making sure payments have a positive impact on our economy and society. To do this, I am looking forward to continuing our work to tackle the challenges faced by the vulnerable, stopping people falling victim to fraud, and helping businesses make and receive payments effectively. I’m thrilled to be able to take on this role permanently."

Kate has 25 years of experience, 18 of these at Lloyds in retail banking and payments including: payments integration for the merger of Lloyds and HBoS; leading the design and build for the payments function at TSB; Change Director at TSB; and Payments Director at TSB.

As well as the appointment of a new Head of Policy, the PSR confirms the creation of a new division - Supervision and Compliance Monitoring – which will enhance the PSR’s ability to make sure that there are good levels of compliance with new and existing rules. This is important as the PSR takes forward remedies to increase businesses’ ability to shop around for card acquiring services and to support the roll-out of the name-checking service, Confirmation of Payee.

The PSR also confirmed that Carole Begent (General Counsel and Head of Regulatory and Competition Enforcement) and Louise Buckley (Chief Operating Officer) have both decided that now is the right time for them to leave the organisation.

Chris Hemsley added:

“Carole and Louise have been with the PSR since it started work and have been hugely instrumental in the success of the organisation to date.  I would like to take this opportunity to say a personal thank you to Louise and Carole and to wish them every success in the future.”

Recruitment for vacant roles, including for the new Head of Department for Supervision and Compliance Monitoring, will begin soon.