The Financial Conduct Authority has appointed Direct Line Group CEO Penny James as chair of its Practitioner Panel.

She will replace Paul Feeney, CEO of Quilter, from 1 March.

Ms James has been a member of the panel since September 2020.

The FCA Practitioner Panel is an independent statutory body providing input from the industry to help the FCA meet its objectives.

The FCA also has statutory panels representing the interests of consumers, practitioners in smaller businesses and wholesale market participants.

Ms James said: “The panel is an important forum for senior industry practitioners, spanning a range of sectors, to engage and use its expertise as a critical friend to support the FCA’s work. I look forward to continuing to work with panel colleagues, where our collective experience and insight can be called upon to help the FCA with its strategic and operational objectives.”

Ms James has been CEO of Direct Line Group since May 2019, having previously held the role of chief financial office since joining the firm in November 2017.

She is also a senior independent director at Hargreaves Lansdown.

The FCA Practitioner Panels were set up to make and maintain effective arrangements for consulting practitioners on the extent to which the FCA’s general policies and practices are consistent with its general duties, as set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Appointments of the chairs of the Statutory Panels are agreed by the FCA board and approved by the Treasury.