Stephen Aynsley-Smith
Biography
Stephen Aynsley-Smith is HM Land Registry’s Interim Chief Financial Officer.
Stephen is a chartered accountant with a career spanning financial leadership roles across central government, the NHS and regulatory bodies. He joined HM Land Registry in 2019 and has since held several senior positions, including Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Director of Finance, Commercial and FPAM, before stepping into the Interim CFO role in September 2025.
Stephen has led initiatives that delivered significant cost savings and efficiency improvements, including the automation of invoice processing and the development of long-term corporate systems strategies – a transformation that earned HM Land Registry’s Corporate Systems and Accounts Payable Teams a Business Innovation Award.
Prior to joining HM Land Registry, Stephen held finance leadership roles at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the Department for International Trade and the Legal Aid Agency. He began his career with District Audit in Brighton and has worked across a wide portfolio including risk, compliance and quality assurance.
Interim Chief Financial Officer
The Interim Chief Financial Officer is responsible for the financial management of HM Land Registry and compliance with the general requirements of Government Accounting.
They oversee the preparation of our annual accounts and are responsible for ensuring the key performance indicator for efficiency is achieved. They provide advice to the Chief Executive and the Portfolio Board on the regularity and propriety of expenditure and also provide advice on commercial contracts.