The Chairman of the Professional Oversight Board, Dame Barbara Mills, has today announced three new appointments to the Professional Oversight Board, one of the Financial Reporting Council’s six operating bodies. 

Barbara Mills said:

“I am delighted to welcome three new members to the Professional Oversight Board. They will bring to bear a wide range of experience and expertise to the work of the Board.”

The appointments, made by the FRC Nominations Committee, are:

Rudolf Ferscha has held a range of senior executive and non-executive positions in the UK, US, and in Germany, as a lawyer, banker, executive manager and investor. These include Chief Executive of a major European derivatives exchange and senior management positions with the Goldman Sachs Group. He also served as Chairman of the Management Board of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Roger Marshall was until recently a Senior Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he had extensive experience of auditing FTSE 100 companies across a variety of sectors. He has a keen interest in improving audit quality and for four years until 2007 chaired PwC’s Global Audit Policy Board.

Diane Walters is a qualified accountant and academic. At present she combines lecturing at Heriot-Watt University with a portfolio of teaching and examining posts with professional bodies.

1. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the UK’s independent regulator responsible for promoting confidence in corporate reporting and governance. Its functions are exercised principally by its operating bodies including the Professional Oversight Board. This Board has the following responsibilities:
   
   
   • it oversees the regulation of auditors by the accountancy bodies;
   • it monitors the quality of auditing of large companies;
   • it oversees the regulation of the accountancy and actuarial professions by their professional bodies.
2. Press enquiries should be made to Paul George, telephone 020 7492 2340.