Andy King has been named the new chief executive of Companies House as it gears up for major changes aimed at boosting corporate transparency and tackling economic crime.
King will take up the role at the UK’s registrar of companies in September, replacing outgoing CEO Louise Smyth, who has led the organisation for the past eight years. He will oversee a team of nearly 2,000 across offices in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast.
Having previously worked on regulatory enforcement and business operations at the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, he brings leadership experience across government departments to the role.
Companies House processes more than 14m filings each year, playing a critical role in the UK’s business landscape as it helps to maintain data on more than five million companies and offers access to key information for lenders, investors and the public.
King’s appointment comes as the organisation embarks on its biggest transformation in decades.
New reforms will give Companies House stronger powers to verify identities, flag suspicious activity and clamp down on misuse of the company register as it looks to fight against economic crime.
“I’m delighted to be joining Companies House and feel honoured to be able to lead such a motivated and dedicated team,” said King.
“I am excited by our mission to deliver essential services to business, and the opportunity to be ambitious in our vision for those services, our workforce and our organisation, as we continue to advance our change programme.”
The Competition and Markets Minister, Justin Madders, added: “I’d like to thank Louise Smyth for her significant contribution for the past eight years as CEO and especially for her leading role in the transformation of the organisation.
“Andy King brings excellent expertise to Companies House and I look forward to working together to improve corporate transparency and tackle economic crime.
“This appointment will help strengthen Britain’s business environment and support our Plan for Change to kickstart economic growth.”
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