Biography
Neil Acres is the Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at MSCI, where he leads the firm’s global engagement with governments, regulators, and public policy stakeholders. His team is responsible for monitoring and analysing regulatory and legislative developments across key markets, assessing their implications for MSCI’s business, and developing coordinated responses that protect the firm’s strategic interests, license to operate, and corporate reputation.
In addition to guiding MSCI’s positioning on emerging regulatory issues, Neil works closely with client-facing teams to evaluate how policy and regulatory developments may affect institutional investors, asset managers, banks, and other market participants. This client-centric approach ensures that MSCI provides forward-looking insights that support clients in navigating regulatory change, mitigating risk, and adjusting their strategies in an evolving policy environment.
Neil plays a central role in advising senior leadership on geopolitical, regulatory, and policy risks, while fostering relationships with decision-makers, multilateral institutions, and industry associations. His remit spans a broad range of issues relevant to MSCI's business, including financial regulation, capital markets policy, data governance, and international regulatory cooperation. He also contributes to cross-functional initiatives related to regulatory compliance, product development, and risk management, helping to align internal priorities with the external policy landscape.
Before joining MSCI, Neil served as Global Head of Regulatory Affairs at Moody’s, where he began his career as a securitisation analyst before transitioning into regulatory strategy and advocacy. Earlier in his career, he held positions at the South African Reserve Bank and the Financial Services Board, gaining deep experience in financial oversight, prudential regulation, and policy implementation.
Neil is based in London and holds an LLM (cum laude) from the University of Johannesburg, an LLB (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria, and a BCom from Rand Afrikaans University.