John Cheesman

Director

John is an agile legal leader with 16 years’ financial services experience in the private sector, in-house and in regulatory enforcement at the FCA, PRA and Bank of England. He has investigated international and domestic banks and insurers for failings in governance, risk management and internal controls, and held to account those in senior management positions.

He is currently the Head of Strategy & COO for the Bank of England’s 200-strong Legal Directorate (LD), reporting to the General Counsel, and a member of her senior leadership team. In this role, John leads LD’s Strategy & Operations team working closely with the General Counsel’s Office to maximise the impact of LD and ensure the smooth delivery of LD’s strategic and business plans, new initiatives and operational matters, including budget management, risk management, annual performance and salary reviews, Directorate-wide communications, technology and business continuity. He is passionate about responsible leadership, completing an Executive MBA with Distinction in 2022, and champions a data-driven approach to improving diversity, equity and inclusion.

Immediately prior to this role, John was part of a legal leadership team providing advice to all of the UK central bank’s financial stability functions, including its Financial Policy Committee. In this role he supported the Bank’s General Counsel to coordinate the Legal Directorate’s support to senior decision-makers operating to stabilise failing banks in 2023, including Silicon Valley Bank UK.

John lives in Hildenborough, Tonbridge with his wife, Esther, a GP in Sevenoaks, and their children. He loves reading, live music, attending the theatre, swimming with his kids, and making time to catch up with friends! He enjoys the gym, plays racket sports when he can, and occasionally suffers through a spin class.