Dubai Financial Services Authority appoints Mark Steward as Chief Executive from 19 May 2025

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has appointed Mark Steward as its new Chief Executive, effective 19 May 2025, for a three-year term, and he will also join the DFSA Board of Directors on the same date. He will succeed Ian Johnston, who will step down after serving two stints as the DFSA’s Chief Executive. Steward brings over 30 years of international regulatory experience across Australia, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Most recently, he was Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight at the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, with responsibility for enforcement and the FCA’s functions as the UK Listing Authority, and he also chaired the Market Policy Committee and served as Executive Director of the International Division; earlier roles included Executive Director at the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission’s Enforcement Division and senior positions at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.