The International Financial Reporting Foundation named Steven Maijoor as the next chair of the IFRS Foundation Trustees, effective Jan. 1, 2027, and Sam Woods as chair of the International Accounting Standards Board, effective Oct. 1, 2026.
Maijoor is a former chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (the European Union's financial market regulator and supervisor) and is currently a member of the Executive Board and Chair of Supervision of De Nederlandsche Bank, the central bank of the Netherlands. He also currently serves as a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank.
Earlier in his career he was a professor and dean at Maastricht University' School of Business and Economics. He graduated from the University of Groningen with a Master's degree in business economics and obtained a PhD in economics and accounting from Maastricht University.
He has served as a trustee at the IFRS Foundation since 2023 and more recently as chair of the Foundation's Due Process Oversight Committee, which oversees the standard-setting process of the IASB and the International Sustainability Standards Board. His appointment is for an initial three-year term. He succeeds Erkki Liikanen, who has chaired the trustees since 2018.
As the new chair, Maijoor will lead an international body of 22 trustees from every region of the world and will be supported by vice-chairs from the Americas and Asia. The trustees are responsible for the strategy, oversight, governance and funding of the IFRS Foundation and its independent standard-setting boards.
Maijoor's appointment has been approved by the IFRS Foundation Monitoring Board, a group of capital markets authorities to whom the trustees are accountable.
'I am honored to follow Erkki as the next chair of the trustees," Maijoor said in a statement Tuesday. "The Foundation and its standards are trusted worldwide. I look forward to building on this success, working with the trustees, the leadership of both boards, our new managing director and others to ensure the Foundation continues to transform and innovate in its work.'
The new chair of the IASB, Sam Woods, previously served as deputy governor of the Bank of England and CEO of the U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority. He succeeds Andreas Barckow, whose term as IASB chair concluded in June 2026. Woods has been appointed for a five-year term.
Before joining the PRA, Woods held various senior roles in HM Treasury in the U.K., the New Zealand Treasury and in the private sector. Originating from New Zealand, he holds an MBA from INSEAD and is a graduate of the University of Oxford. Woods has long championed high-quality financial reporting standards as essential for a sound global financial system.
"High-quality accounting standards are a vital foundation of the global economy," Woods said in a statement. "I have been involved with IFRS Standards throughout my career as a financial regulator and look forward to working alongside talented staff and fellow board members at the IASB."
Maijoor and Woods will work closely with ISSB chair Emmanuel Faber and incoming managing director Laura Forzani, who begins her appointment on Sept. 1, 2026. The Trustees' Nominating Committee led the process for the appointments, supported by executive search firms.
"I congratulate Steven and Sam on their appointments," said Erkki Liikanen, the current chair of the IFRS Foundation Trustees, in a statement. "Their impressive track records and achievements speak for themselves. Steven's time as a trustee and chair of the Due Process Oversight Committee will provide important continuity in Trustee leadership, whilst Sam's senior experience and background in regulatory and treasury matters make him well placed to guide the IASB through the next stage of its evolution. I also thank Andreas for successfully implementing the IASB's work plan during his term as IASB chair."
Elizabeth McCaul, a former member of the European Central Bank's Supervisory Board, knows both Maijoor and Woods. "I would not try to predict specific policy outcomes at this stage," she said in an email. "But based on my experience with both men, I would expect them to approach their roles with intellectual rigor, a strong commitment to the public interest and a practical understanding of how standards operate in the real world. Both gentlemen bring the highest level of integrity and excellence and represent the very best of public service. Steven Maijoor brings deep experience in governance, international coordination and building consensus across jurisdictions, while Sam Woods is a direct, pragmatic leader who is willing to engage closely with complex technical issues. Both understand that standards must be credible and technically sound, but also workable for the institutions that apply them and useful to investors and other stakeholders."
