Name
Ian Johnston
Job Title
Chief Executive
Company
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)
Speaker Bio
Mr. Ian Johnston was appointed as Chief Executive of the DFSA in September 2022. He previously served as the DFSA’s Chief Executive from 2012-2018.
From 2018 until his recent reappointment Mr Johnston provided advice and consultancy to a number of regulatory bodies in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, including on projects funded by the World Bank and the EBRD. He was appointed as a member of the DFSA’s Legislative Committee in 2021.
Originally a lawyer, Mr Johnston spent several years in the private sector. He held a number of senior positions within the financial sector and was the CEO of one of Australia’s major trustee companies.
In 1999, Mr Johnston moved into regulation joining the Australian Securities and Investments Commission where he became Executive Director, Financial Services Regulation, and spent several terms as an Acting Commissioner. In 2005, he took up a position as a Special Advisor with the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.
Mr Johnston is a past Chairman of the Joint Forum, which comprised representatives of the major international regulatory standard-setters (IOSCO, IAIS and the Basel Committee). He was elected to the Steering Group of IOSCO’s Growth and Emerging Markets Committee and was a member of the Financial Stability and Technical Committee of the IAIS, the global standard-setting body for insurance regulation. Mr Johnston was a member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Standards Board from 2011 – 2016.
From 2018 until his recent reappointment Mr Johnston provided advice and consultancy to a number of regulatory bodies in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, including on projects funded by the World Bank and the EBRD. He was appointed as a member of the DFSA’s Legislative Committee in 2021.
Originally a lawyer, Mr Johnston spent several years in the private sector. He held a number of senior positions within the financial sector and was the CEO of one of Australia’s major trustee companies.
In 1999, Mr Johnston moved into regulation joining the Australian Securities and Investments Commission where he became Executive Director, Financial Services Regulation, and spent several terms as an Acting Commissioner. In 2005, he took up a position as a Special Advisor with the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.
Mr Johnston is a past Chairman of the Joint Forum, which comprised representatives of the major international regulatory standard-setters (IOSCO, IAIS and the Basel Committee). He was elected to the Steering Group of IOSCO’s Growth and Emerging Markets Committee and was a member of the Financial Stability and Technical Committee of the IAIS, the global standard-setting body for insurance regulation. Mr Johnston was a member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Standards Board from 2011 – 2016.