New appointments include senior barristers, regulators and university leadership figures
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has announced the appointment of four new Board members, including senior barristers, a university vice-chancellor and a former Chair of the Bar of England and Wales. The regulator confirmed that one lay member and three barrister members will join the Board over the coming months for initial four-year terms.
Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard and Sara Lawson KC joined the Board in May 2026. Abiodun Michael Olatokun FRSA is due to join from 1 July, while Mark Fenhalls KC will take up his role from 1 October. Professor Ezingeard has served as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Roehampton since 2019. The BSB said he brings more than two decades of leadership experience in complex regulated organisations, alongside expertise in audit, governance, risk and public accountability.
Sara Lawson KC was called to the Bar in 1990 and spent more than 20 years in chambers prosecuting and defending criminal cases, including rape and serious sexual offence matters, fraud and regulatory work. The BSB said Lawson previously prosecuted for the Serious Fraud Office, HMRC and the CPS before later serving as General Counsel at the SFO for six years.
Abiodun Michael Olatokun FRSA currently practises at 36 Public and Human Rights and specialises in education, employment and public law. He also brings extensive experience in higher education regulation and quality assurance. Mark Fenhalls KC was called to the Bar in 1992 and took silk in 2014. He has appeared in a number of serious criminal cases involving fraud, corruption, organised crime and murder.
The BSB noted that Fenhalls has held several senior leadership positions within the profession, including Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Leader of the South Eastern Circuit and Chair of the Bar of England and Wales in 2022. According to the regulator, Fenhalls has also worked closely with senior judiciary and public bodies on projects focused on capacity, sustainability and efficiency within the justice system.
Professor Christopher Bones welcomed the appointments and said the new members would bring a broad range of expertise and perspectives to the Board. He also thanked outgoing members Andrew Mitchell KC and Professor Leslie Thomas KC for their contributions and commitment to the regulator over recent years. The appointments form part of the BSB’s ongoing governance and oversight responsibilities as the regulator continues to address issues involving professional standards, ethics, regulation and modernisation across the Bar.