Lady Judge to Head Kazakh Financial Center Regulatory Board

Originally published at LAHT.com

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ASTANA – The Astana International Financial Center has appointed British-American commercial lawyer Lady Barbara Judge as chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the AIFC announced on Monday.

“It is a pleasure and great honor to be appointed for this role. I will strive to ensure the efficiency of the AFSA Board of Directors and adherence of the AFSA to the international standards and best practices and to make input into the development of the AIFC,” Lady Judge commented after her appointment.

Lady Judge, who has been awarded with the Order of the British Empire, is the National Chairman of the UK’s Institute of Directors and her country’s commercial ambassador.

Previously, she was a Commissioner of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Deputy Chairman of the UK Financial Reporting Council.

AIFC manager Kairat Kelimbetov celebrated Lady Judge’s assignment.

“Under the leadership of Lady Judge and with help and support of the other Board members, the AFSA will achieve significant results and develop into a world-class financial regulator,” said Kelimbetov.

Astana’s financial center was launched on Jan. 1 as an initiative of the Kazakh government’s “100 Concrete Steps” plan, with which Kazakhstan aspires to be among the 30 most developed countries in the world by 2050.

The AIFC has a legal system based on the principles of English law.

It aims to become a financial hub of reference for Central Asia, just as the Dubai International Financial Centre is in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.