LSB appoints Matthew Hill as chief executive

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has appointed Matthew Hill to the role of chief executive commencing 20 August 2019.

He will also become a board member of the LSB and will hold the role of accounting officer for the organisation.

Hill takes the reins from current chief executive Neil Buckley, whose intended departure was announced on 6 February 2019. He helmed the organisation for three and a half years.

Hill will join the LSB from the General Dental Council, where he is currently executive director of strategy.

Prior to this he was director of regulatory risk and analysis at the Gambling Commission and has experience across policy, operational enforcement and stakeholder engagement.

Having graduated in biochemistry from Oxford University, Hill spent 16 years in the civil service, and has held a number of senior positions both in Whitehall and in independent regulators.

He was appointed by the LSB board following an open recruitment process.

Commenting on the appointment LSB chair Dr Helen Phillips said: “He impressed us with his intellectual credibility, drive and commitment, and he will bring to the LSB the right blend of leadership and experience to take the organisation forward as we work to deliver our new five-year policy objectives.”

Hill added: “We all have an interest in a successful legal services market as confidence in it underpins our democracy, economy and a wider public interest. I look forward to working closely with all those that have an interest in our legal sector to ensure its focus, rightly admired at home and abroad, on delivering for consumers and on being innovative, vibrant and effective, continues to grow.”