Nikhil Rathi joins the Financial Conduct Authority today as its new chief executive at a critical juncture in the UK markets watchdog's seven-year history. 

Rathi, who was previously a senior exec at the London Stock Exchange, takes over as head of the financial regulator, not only as the UK is battling to contain a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic but also as the country’s policy-makers begin to determine how the UK’s finance sector will adapt to life outside of the European Union.