Appointment Committee

Role of the Appointments Committee

In accordance with the AEP Tribunal and Appeal Tribunal Terms of Reference and the Actuarial and Accountancy Schemes, the FRC's People Committee have appointed individuals to form an Appointment Committee. All members of the Appointments Committee are independent from the FRC Board, Conduct Committee and Executive Counsel and are responsible for appointing members of the FRC Tribunal Panel.

Committee Members

  • Brandon Horwitz

    Member

    Brandon is an independent consultant, non-executive director and qualified actuary with broad, deep investment and pensions experience. He is focused on the importance of effective design, management and oversight of products to help ensure that they deliver good outcomes and value for customers.

    Brandon’s current work spans a portfolio of activities including being Senior Adviser and Non-Executive Director of Fund Boards Council, Principal Consultant at NomBon Consulting, a Board Member of the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority and chairing the Appointments Committee of the Financial Reporting Council’s Tribunal Panel.

    Brandon’s previous roles in his 23+ years in financial services include launching the Vitality Invest proposition and being responsible for HSBC UK’s regulated financial advice proposition and conduct risk management for wealth management products. He has also worked as an asset management Technical Specialist at the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), as an Investment Banker and Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley and in investment consulting at Watson Wyatt. He brings experience as senior manager and non-executive director at firms regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), The Pensions Regulator (TPR) and the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC).

    Brandon holds a M.Sc. in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics as well as a B.Sc. in Actuarial Science/Maths of Finance from WITS university. He is also an active volunteer for the Institute & Faculty of actuaries, having previous chaired the Finance & Investment Board and regularly chairing working parties covering areas including product regulation and investment governance including Net Zero investing and AI Ethics, governance and risk management.

    Brandon has also been a Trustee and Non-Executive Director of a charity which helps unemployed people build confidence and skills to find work and of a hospital school for young people with severe eating disorders.

  • Victoria Smith

    Member

    Victoria is a qualified solicitor who was admitted to the Roll of solicitors over 25 years ago. She has spent the majority of her working life firstly as a Government Legal Services lawyer and then as a Legal Advisor in the Magistrates Court advising lay Magistrates’ on the law practice and procedure in the Court room. After leaving the Court Service she joined a large national law practice where for a number of years she practiced as a private client specialist. For the last 5 years she has built a portfolio career where she sits as a decision maker for bodies such as the Ministry of Defence and National Health Service. She also works in the Regulatory sector sitting as a Legal Assessor or member of fitness to practice committees for Regulators such as the ACCA and ICAEW. Victoria has considerable experience of recruitment appointing senior lawyers as well as appointing senior leaders in the education field.

  • David Trovato

    Member

    David Trovato is a barrister and Technical Specialist at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), where he leads on proceeds of crime litigation and AML/ money laundering issues in the context of financial services.

    Previously, David held posts as a Case Controller at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), where he managed multi-disciplinary teams in asset recovery proceedings concerning allegations of serious fraud, bribery and corruption, and as a Specialist Prosecutor and Crown Advocate at the Proceeds of Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), where he frequently represented the interests of overseas governments in asset freezing and forfeiture matters. He began his career at the self-employed bar over twenty years ago, practising in general crime, extradition and judicial review.

    David’s experience includes advising on financial crime policy in various cross-agency and strategic roles. He has, for example, chaired the Civil Recovery Practitioners’ Group, and was an advisory member of the Joint Action Steering group for the UK’s National Assessment on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. He also contributed to the UK’s responses to both the Financial Action Task force and United Nations assessments.

    David has trained judges and prosecutors as a standing expert to the European Judicial Training Network and has spoken at various national and international forums, including at the European Commission. He is a co-author of a leading publication (Confiscation and the Proceeds of Crime, 3rd Ed., Sweet & Maxwell).

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