Sam Woods

Biography

Sam Woods was appointed Chair of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on 1 October 2026 for a five-year term.

Mr Woods joined the IASB from the Bank of England, where he served as Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation and Chief Executive Officer of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) from 2016 to 2026. In these roles, he was responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms in the UK. He was also a member of the Bank of England's Court of Directors, Financial Policy Committee and Prudential Regulation Committee, and of the Board of the Financial Conduct Authority. His work in financial regulation and public policy has included a longstanding focus on the importance of high-quality financial reporting to the stability and effective functioning of the global financial system.

Before becoming Deputy Governor, Mr Woods was Executive Director of Insurance at the PRA. He previously served as Director for Financial Stability Strategy and Risk and Director for Domestic UK Banks Supervision. He joined the Financial Services Authority in 2011 and transferred to the Bank of England in 2013 when the PRA was established.

Earlier in his career, Mr Woods spent ten years at HM Treasury in the UK in a variety of senior roles. He has also worked at the New Zealand Treasury and in the private sector for Diageo and McKinsey and Company. Originally from New Zealand, Mr Woods holds an MBA from INSEAD and is a graduate of the University of Oxford.