Australian Julie Read named as new SFO head

Serious Fraud Office chief executive Julie Read.

The new boss for the Serious Fraud Office has been named as Australian Julie Read.

State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie said Read had more than 20 years experience as a litigator, including 10 years with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) holding several senior executive roles.

Read is currently the Special Counsel (Litigation) in ASIC's Chief Legal Office - a position she has held since 2010.

"Ms Read is a senior public servant with significant experience at executive level managing work very similar to that of the Serious Fraud Office," said Rennie.

"She has a track record of building and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders and colleague agencies, while discharging her statutory role in complex and challenging investigations and prosecutions," he said.

"Ms Read will lead the Serious Fraud Office to actively monitor, investigate and prosecute so that serious fraud and corruption does not go undetected or unpunished," said Rennie.

He said Read had been appointed for a term of three years and will take up her role on October 21.

Simon McArley has been acting chief executive of the Serious Fraud Office for the past year, since the departure of Adam Feeley in August.

Supplied biography of new SFO head Julie Read:

- Julie Read was appointed to her current role of Special Counsel (Litigation), Chief Legal Office within ASIC in 2010. In this role, Read is a senior executive responsible for the conduct of ASIC litigation. She is also the Minister's delegate responsible for the approval of requests for assistance from foreign regulators.

- Read is also the Regional Commissioner of ASIC for Tasmania, a role she has held since 2002.

- From 2008 to 2010, Read was Senior Executive Leader, Major Fraud and International, ASIC. In this role she was responsible for the investigation and litigation of major matters and the provision of advice to the ASIC Commission on various cross-agency bodies.

- Read was also ASIC's representative on the International Organisation of Securities Commissions committee responsible for cross-border securities law enforcement matters for six years from May 2006.

- Read was previously a Director of Enforcement and an Acting General Counsel, ASIC from 2002 to 2008, roles which related to ASIC investigations and litigation.

- From 1992 to 2002 Read was the Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, managing the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in Tasmania.

- Read is currently a member of the Winston Churchill Fellowship Committee, Tasmania, a Board member of TasDeaf, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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