The Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed that its new chief executive will be an experienced former leading civil servant.

Sarah Rapson will leave her current position as executive director of supervision at the Financial Reporting Council and will formally take up the SRA job towards the end of this year. 

Sarah Rapson

Rapson: 'I’m honoured to be asked to lead the SRA at such a pivotal moment for the legal sector'

She replaces Paul Philip who is leaving the organisation after more than a decade. Her in-tray will include guiding the SRA through the final year of its current corporate strategy and dealing with the aftermath of last year’s Axiom Ince report from the Legal Services Board. Another LSB report into the handling of the SSB Law collapse could have been published before her start date.

Rapson said: ‘I’m honoured to be asked to lead the SRA at such a pivotal moment for the legal sector. As we enter a new chapter, we’ll continue to navigate the opportunities and challenges brought by emerging technologies and evolving ways of working.

‘The public rightly expects legal professionals to uphold the highest standards of integrity and competence. I look forward to working closely with the profession, colleagues across the SRA, and with other regulators to ensure those standards are met – and to intervene appropriately where they are not.’

During 2023/24 the chief executive’s remuneration was £414,800, up from £391,600 the year before.

Rapson previously served on the board of the UK Home Office and was the first director-general of UK Visas and Immigration and chief executive of HM Passport Service. In her earlier career she was in retail financial services at American Express, Barclays and Woolwich and she holds an MBA from London Business School.

Anna Bradley, chair of the SRA board, said Rapson had stood out as someone with the right skills and knowledge to take the regulator onto the next level.

Bradley added: ‘She has the broad and deep regulatory, policy and management experience to help her guide us through an increasingly challenging environment. I look forward to working with her.

'Paul Philip has led the organisation with purpose over the past 12 years. The board thanks him for his leadership in responding to a changing professional landscape. His work has strengthened public protection and reshaped our approach.'

In a statement, Law Society chief executive Ian Jeffery said: 'I would like to extend my congratulations to Sarah as she joins the SRA at a critical time in its history.  

'Restoring consumer and solicitors’ trust and confidence in the regulator following a challenging period, which has seen the collapse of Axiom Ince and SSB Law, will be vital.'

 

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