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Biographies

Director

Nick Ephgrave QPM became Director of the SFO on 25 September 2023.

Nick has been a public servant for over 30 years and has over a decade of experience leading large law enforcement organisations. He was previously Chief Constable of Surrey Police before he was appointed as Assistant Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service in 2019. In that role, Nick helped develop and deliver the strategic objectives of one of the world’s largest law enforcement organisations. Nick worked with UK and international partners to support the service’s investigations, strengthen its capabilities and deliver its mission of supporting victims of crime and protecting the UK public.

Nick also spent over four years on the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC). Nick chaired the Criminal Justice Co-ordination Committee where he helped manage the UK nationwide development of professional practices, response to new legislation and adoption of new technology in the fight against crime.

Chair of the Board

Claire Bassett has held senior positions across the public sector, many with a focus on the criminal justice system. She was Deputy Director General at the Independent Office for Police Conduct until May of this year and has previously held executive posts at the Department for International Trade, the Electoral Commission, the Parole Board for England and Wales and the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Claire is also current vice-chair and trustee at the Internet Watch Foundation, an organisation that works within the UK and internationally to make the internet safer.

Non-Executive Directors

Caroline Firstbrook brings a wealth of experience in professional services and entrepreneurship, having served as Chief Operating Officer at the law firm Clifford Chance LLP for over seven years until 2022. She has been a Non-Executive Director at the maritime organisation Lloyd’s Register since 2015. Caroline has also held senior leadership positions at both Monitor Company and Accenture plc and has founded companies in the agribusiness and biotech sectors.

Simon McKinnon CB CBE has extensive experience in technology leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. He spent sixteen years in the public sector responsible for child maintenance, health and pensions systems. Most recently, he was Director General Digital and the Chief Digital Information Officer at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), responsible for the delivery and transformation of national benefit systems. His previous experience included roles at PwC, Global Asset Management and a range of entrepreneurial businesses. 

James Thomson has held senior leadership positions across the private and public sectors and is currently chief executive of MJ Gleeson plc. He is also chair of the City of London Police Authority Board, chair of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group and a board member for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. He is a councillor at the City of London Corporation, a board member of Bridge House Estates Trust and a governor at the City of London School. James is a chartered accountant and spent his earlier career in financial services with PwC, HSBC and Deutsche Bank.

Declaration of interests for Non-Executive Directors are available in the transparency section.

Executive Team

Chief Operating Officer

The position of Chief Operating Officer is held on an interim basis by one of our Heads of Division, Emma Luxton, while recruitment for a permanent replacement takes place.

Emma Luxton joined the SFO in 2008. Before becoming a Head of Division at the SFO in June 2024, she was the Head of the Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance Division for over two and a half years and previously a Case Controller, as well as G7 lawyer for a combined 13 years. Prior to that, Emma was a fraud specialist in private practice.

Chief Capability Officer

Graham McNulty QPM joined the SFO on 16 September 2024 and has extensive experience in combatting fraud and economic crime. He spent seven years working on the Metropolitan Police Service’s Economic Crime Command before leading the Met’s response to fraud and serious and organised crime. From 2016 to 2023 he held the position of Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Met, leading the local policing portfolio across London’s 32 boroughs and then its specialist crime portfolio.

General Counsel

Sara Lawson KC was appointed General Counsel of the SFO as of 1 May 2019. Prior to this she was a barrister based at Red Lion Chambers and had extensive experience prosecuting criminal and regulatory matters on behalf of the government, including the Serious Fraud Office. Before taking Silk in 2017, Sara was Standing Counsel for the Insolvency Service and between 2012 to 2019 was a member of the Government Regulatory A List, prosecuting cases for the Health and Safety Executive, the Office of Rail & Road, and the Environment Agency.