Suzanne McCarthy was appointed Immigration Services Commissioner in 2005, having previously held a number of senior public sector positions including Chief Executive of both the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. During her Whitehall career she worked in a number of departments including HM Treasury and the Home Office. At the latter she served as Private Secretary to the Home Secretary.

Before entering the public sector, Suzanne worked as a solicitor in private practice and was a lecturer in Law at the University of Manchester. Suzanne is a Trustee of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a member of the Public Guardian Board, the Pension Regulator’s Determination Panel, the General Medical Council and the Human Tissue Authority. She is also a member of the Executive Council of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association.

Previously she was a non-Executive Director of the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, where she chaired its Audit and Risk Committee, and was the first Chairman of the European Forum of Deposit Insurers, of which she is now Honorary Chairman.

Suzanne studied in both America and the UK, and holds an LLM degree from the University of Cambridge.

Other Charities

Royal Institute of British Architects (registered charity)