Executive Committee 2022 -2023

Louise Smyth

President

Louise Smyth joined Companies House in September 2017 as Chief Executive and Registrar for England and Wales.

Before joining Companies House Louise held a number of senior positions at the International Property Office (IPO), including director of IT, Director of People, Places & Services.

Louise went on to become Chief Operating Officer in 2014, responsible for Corporate Services: IT, People, Places and Services and Finance.

Martin Fidler Jones

Secretary

Martin Fidler Jones joined Companies House in 2021 as a Senior Policy Advisor following a decade in charity sector public affairs, policy and communications.  He has been CRF Secretary since 2022.

A fluent French speaker, Martin has also worked at the heart of Parliaments and their governments in Wales, the UK and the EU.

He holds an Honours degree in Economics and a Masters in International Relations, with a specialism in climate change politics.

Melissa Bax

Assistant Secretary - Newsletters

Melissa Bax is a Director within the Australian Business Registry Services business line at the Australian Taxation Office. Currently Melissa is responsible for the relationship management and engagement with key external stakeholders within the Australian Business Registry Services.

Melissa has worked for several years in contract, commercial and relationship management roles and joined the CRF in 2023 as the Assistant Secretary, focusing on the CRF Newsletter.

Irena Lazarova

Assistant Secretary - Technical Workshops

Irena is a Head of Marketing and Public relations Department at Central registry of the Republic of North Macedonia

She joined the Central Registry 2008. She is responsible for:

– Coordination of external communication, customer care, maintenance and strengthening of the role and importance of the institution to target groups and strengthen the image of the Central registry.

– Taking care of accurate, timely and prompt information to the target groups for the products and services and providing customer support in realizing their commitments to and requirements.

– Planning, coordinating and supervision of the preparation of promotional material and representative of the institution, including maintainance the CMS of the service porlal.

– processing media presentation of the institution

– Organize the implementation of surveys of public opinion in matters arising from the functions of the institution

– Participation in working groups to develop new products and services and to create organizational policies and procedures of public interes.

– Project/Product Manager of the projects related to services for business and citizens.

Helen Tang

Treasurer

Before assuming the Post of the Registrar of Companies in July 2022, Miss Helen Tang served in various policy bureaux and departments of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, including the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the former Home Affairs Bureau, the Government Logistics Department, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Department of Health, the former Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau, the former Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, the former Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority, the former Health and Welfare Branch, the former Civil Service Branch and the former City and New
Territories Administration.

Dr. Geraldine Spiteri Lucas

2023 Conference Director, and Executive Committee

Geraldine Spiteri Lucas is a lawyer by profession who acquired a Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta and a warrant to practice in Maltese Courts.  She also read a Masters Degree in European Studies and Comparative Law.

Geraldine was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Business Registry and Registrar in 2021. Previously to her appointment, she used to head the Legal and Enforcement Unit of the said entity and oversaw its overall function. She also worked for several years in the private sector with a leading Maltese law firm. She is also a member of the board of examiners for the department of Commercial Law of the University of Malta.

Marija Boshkovska Jankovski

Executive Committee and 2019 Conference Director

Marija Boshkovska-Jankovski joined Central register of the Republic of Macedonia in August, 2017 as General Director of the Institution. As professional in business economics and financial accounting management, she has been involved in the implementation of numerous development projects – essential for the progress of the Central register.

The Central register is self-financed government institution, which is currently in a process of upgrading the existing solutions with a new comprehensive service model – covering all significant aspects that directly affect the quality of services.

Her vision for the Central register arises directly from the needs of the private sector and all service users (including foreign and domestic investors), and from the institutional need to access and share up-to-date information in order to increase the efficiency of their work.

Mariyam Visam

Executive Committee and 2022 Conference Director

Visam is the Registrar of businesses at the Ministry of Economic Development. Visam is leading the digitalization program of business registry services to modernize and increase accessibility to business services across the country. She also oversees FDI registrations and provides her expertise in formulating investment policies.

Visam is also a member of the Board of Directors of Capital Market Development Authority (CMDA).

Visam has over 15 years of experience in economic affairs and financial sector.

Visam also contributes to the academia by facilitating training programs, postgraduate courses in the areas of Entrepreneurship, Corporate Governance, Risk Management & Business Ethics.

Visam holds a Master’s Degree in Business Economics from the University of Queensland, Australia.  Visam was the 2022 Conference Director.

Karen Foat

Executive Committee

Karen is the Deputy Registrar of the Australian Business Register, and the Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Business Registry Services business line at the Australian Taxation Office, which is leading our organisation to be a leading tax, super and registry service.

Julian Lamb

Executive Committee

Julian Lamb is the Executive Director of Registry and the Registrar. He is also a member of our Executive Board.
Julian has the primary executive responsibility for the leadership and management of the Registry.

Julian is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Companies Registry (Registry), which includes policy and strategic development, and enhancing the Registry’s international reputation.

Prior to joining the JFSC in December 1999, Julian worked in Jersey’s finance industry for more than 20 years, including at director level. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Julian is a board member of a number of international registry organisations.

Josef Gasimov

Executive Committee

Josef began his career in DCRA in 2006 with the Corporations division of BPLA as Program Specialist. Throughout his 16+ years of public service, he rose through the ranks to become Supervisory Paralegal Specialist, Deputy Superintendent of Corporations, and since 2020 DCRA’s Superintendent of Corporations.

Currently, Josef acts as Administrator of Business and Professional Licensing Administration that serves as District’s primary business registration and licensing entity. In this role he provides executive oversight over eleven senior managers in charge of five divisions under the Administration including Corporations (Corporate Registrar’s Office), Business Licensing including Special Events Registration & Vending & Short-Term Rental Licensing, Professional Licensing (Nine Boards and Commissions and Three Programs), Office of Weights & Measures and Small Business Resource Center. Administration has over 100 employees including contractors who process over 200,000 registrations and licenses annually. Administration also generates revenue of over $40 million dollars annually.

Over the past years, he has worked diligently to improve Corporations division to make it one of the top performing operations within the agency with the highest number of transactions and revenue. He has also worked with legislature to enact one of the most comprehensive corporate laws to make DC a better place to do business – Title 29 of DC Code.

Josef is a finalist of 2012 Cafritz award – DC Government’s highest award for outstanding performance and exemplary service.

Josef earned his Master of Public Administration from the University of South Alabama. In his spare time, Josef, enjoys spending time with his family, reading, gardening, and travelling.

Nor Azimah Abdul Aziz

Executive Committee

Nor Azimah Abdul Aziz has been appointed as CEO of the Companies Commission of Malaysia effective May 1, 2020. Prior to this appointment, she was the Deputy CEO (DCEO) of Regulatory & Enforcement and thereafter, DCEO of Corporate Services between the period of 2016 to 2020. She started her career in 1992 as an Advocate and Solicitor and from there on served as a Law Lecturer at the Accounting Department, Faculty of Business and Management, National University of Malaysia (UKM). She joined SSM as General Manager of the Corporate Policy, Planning and Development Department in 2003 and oversaw the passing of significant pieces of legislations under the purview of SSM, among others, the Companies Act 2016, Interest Schemes Act 2016, Limited Liability Partnership Act 2012 and Companies (Amendment) Act 2007. She is currently a Board Member of Audit Oversight Board, Board Member of Financial Reporting Foundation, Member of the Approval and Implementation Committee of Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Board Member of the Labuan Financial Services Authority and was elected as the Executive Committee of the Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) at the 2022 CRF Forum

Chin Li Fen

Executive Committee

Li Fen has been the Deputy Chief Executive of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) since July 2017. ACRA is the national regulator of business entities, public accountants and corporate service providers in
Singapore. As the Deputy Chief Executive of ACRA, Li Fen oversees the Business Registry function, IT and Digital Transformation, and Corporate functions which include legal services, corporate planning, communications, HR
and Finance, etc. Prior to joining ACRA, she was with the Singapore’s Inland Revenue Authority, and spent several years in tax policy and research, before holding senior leadership roles in customer service function, and corporate
areas. Li Fen holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the National University of Singapore.