The former CEO of the UK Financial Ombudsman Services, Natalie Ceeney, is the latest of several high profile regulators to go corporate, as she joins HSBC as its new head of customer standards.

The former chief executive of the UK [tag|Financial Ombudsman Services|]Financial Ombudsman Services[/tag], Natalie Ceeney, is the latest of several high profile regulators to go corporate, as she joins major banking group, HSBC as its new head of customer standards.

In her new role, Ceeney will be working with the firm’s four global businesses in a London-based role covering the improvement of customer services, as well as leading on complaints handling, a [tag|HSBC |]HSBC[/tag] spokesperson told WealthBriefing. She will be working in the firm's domestic business and takes up her new role on 3 February 2014.

Ceeney announced her resignation from FOS in November 2013, after having successfully dealt with its one millionth payment protection insurance complaint. In her time heading up the watchdog, Ceeney was seen as the consumer's champion after several public attacks on the banks' handling of PPI complaints.

"Disappointingly we are still seeing cases where businesses are not following our long-standing approach to PPI, resulting in long waits and unnecessary delays for consumers," Ceeney said in September last year. (Read more on that story, here.)

Since her departure, Tony Boorman, deputy chief ombudsman, has taken over Ceeney’s former responsibilities.

The spokesperson also added that HSBC did not approach Ceeney until after she resigned from FOS.

Ceeney is just the latest regulator to have crossed over from battling the banks to joining them. Recently, the Financial Conduct Authority's acting director of retail Christina Sinclair quit the watchdog to join Barclays, while head of asset management supervision, Ed Harley, left to take up a role at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Read more on those departures, here.

Generally, staff have been fleeing the UK financial regulators in the past year, a recent report revealed. According to data from the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority, staff have been leaving the two bodies at an annualised rate of 12 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. To read more on that development, click here.