The UK’s new employment rights watchdog has announced the appointment of its board members, the Department for Business and Trade has confirmed.
The Fair Work Agency (FWA), the body introduced to enforce employment rights as part of a number of measures introduced under the Employment Rights Act, has named its nine advisory board members ahead of its official launch on 7 April.
The members – drawn equally from independent, employer, and trade union expert backgrounds – will work alongside FWA Chair Matthew Taylor and Chief Executive Lisa Pinney to advise ministers on the agency’s strategy and direction.
Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden said the appointments reflect “exactly the kind of broad expertise the Fair Work Agency needs to make a difference to the lives of workers across this country.”
What is the Fair Work Agency Advisory Board?
The Advisory Board is the oversight and guidance arm of the FWA, which will advise ministers on the watchdog’s strategy and general direction.
Drawing on the extensive employment rights experience and knowledge of its nine members, it is intended to make sure the FWA’s work is aligned with the experiences of businesses, workers and victims of serious labour exploitation.
As announced in March, the FWA’s CEO is Lisa Pinney, former Chief Executive at the Mining Remediation Authority
Who is on the Fair Work Agency Advisory Board?
Independent Members
Who is Patricia Findlay?
Patricia Findlay is a Professor of Work and Employment Relations and Director of the Scottish Centre for Employment Research at the University of Strathclyde. A leading expert in improving job quality and fair work, she has an extensive track record shaping employment policy and workplace practice.
Who is Gavin Kelly?
Gavin Kelly is Chief Executive of the Nuffield Foundation and a former Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation. He chaired the Living Wage Commission for a decade and specialises in labour markets, governance, and social policy, as well as more than a decade in Whitehall, including as Deputy Chief of Staff to Gordon Brown at No. 10.
Who is Dora-Olivia Vicol?
Dora-Olivia Vicol is founder and Chief Executive of the Work Rights Centre, an organisation she established to support migrant and vulnerable workers. She brings frontline experience in legal advice, research, and advocacy, with a strong academic focus on labour markets and worker protection.
Employer Members
Who is Neil Carberry?
Neil Carberry is Chief Executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation. As former director of the Confederation of British Industry, a decade-long career as a member of the council of the conciliation service ACAS and two terms as member of the Low Pay Commission, he is one of the most prominent employer voices on UK employment issues.
Who is Mustafa Faruqi?
Leading employment strategy for a 60,000-strong workforce, Mustafa Faruqi is Employee Relations Director at BT Group. He is also an Employer Panel Member for the Central Arbitration Committee, a tribunal of the Department for Business and Trade, and has held major roles at British Airways, Tesco, Network Rail, and Heathrow.
Who is Joanne Young?
Joanne Young is a recruitment and workforce policy specialist with a track record of improving employment standards and responsible recruitment practices. She has led UK and international initiatives across employment regulation, labour market enforcement, and workforce strategy.
Trade Union Members
Who is Mike Clancy?
Mike Clancy is General Secretary and Chief Executive of Prospect, representing over 160,000 specialist workers. He has served on Acas, Employment Tribunals, and the TUC Executive, and sits as a Non-Executive Board member of the Department for Business and Trade.
Who is Diana Holland?
Diana Holland is a senior trade union leader with more than 35 years’ experience advocating for equality and workers’ rights. A former Assistant General Secretary of Unite, she has held leading roles in national bargaining, international policy, and the advancement of fair and safe working conditions.
Who is Dave Ward?
Dave Ward is General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), one of the UK’s largest unions. He has decades of leadership experience in collective bargaining, industrial strategy, and worker representation, including through the TUC Executive and major sector-wide negotiations.
What is the Fair Work Agency and when does it launch?
The FWA launches on 7 April 2026 as a single enforcement body created under the Employment Rights Act 2025. It consolidates four previously separate enforcement functions – the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority, the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and HMRC’s National Minimum Wage Unit – into a single organisation.
The aim is to end the fragmented enforcement system that critics, including the GLAA itself, argued allowed non-compliant employers to fall through the gaps between overlapping, under-resourced bodies. Once operational, the FWA will have powers to inspect workplaces, compel employers to produce compliance evidence, and pursue enforcement on issues including minimum wage violations, unlicensed labour supply, and exploitative agency arrangements.
Who leads the Fair Work Agency?
As announced in late 2025, the FWA’s Chair is Matthew Taylor, author of the 2017 Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, provided some of the foundations for employment reforms in the UK. Since 2021, Taylor has served as Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, following an interim period as Director of Labour Market Enforcement.
The FWA’s CEO, Lisa Pinney, was appointed in March 2026. Former Chief Executive of the Mining Remediation Authority, where she served since 2018, she also spent over two decades at the Environment Agency.
How does the Fair Work Agency fit into the Employment Rights Act 2025?
The FWA is one of several measures under the Employment Rights Act coming into effect in April 2026. From 6 April, the maximum protective award for collective redundancy failures doubles, increasing the financial exposure for employers who fail to properly consult before large-scale redundancies. Other provisions, including reforms to zero-hours contracts and statutory sick pay, are being phased in through 2026 and into 2027.
For compliant employers, the FWA could level a playing field that critics say has long been tilted in favour of those willing to cut corners. For those who’ve been relying on the gaps in the old system, April represents a harder deadline than any before it.
