Birmingham Assay Office appoints new chief executive

The Birmingham Assay Office has appointed Roxanne Guest as its 15th assay master and chief executive officer, effective from 1 April 2026.

Her appointment comes as Doug Henry announced his plans to retire, and prior to that Guest served as deputy chief executive. 

During her tenure as deputy, she managed operational improvements and business transformation initiatives within the organisation. 

Her transition to the senior executive role is intended to provide continuity in the office’s regulatory and service delivery functions. 

The organisation maintains its focus on hallmarking and precious metals testing while adapting to shifting market conditions within the jewellery industry and exploring growth in emerging technical areas.

The outgoing chief executive, Henry, led the office through a nine-year period of strategic change. 

Under his direction, the Birmingham Assay Office maintained its regulatory standing while navigating evolving industry standards for quality and integrity. 

The transition to the 15th assay master in the office’s history follows a planned succession strategy overseen by the board of wardens. 

The office will continue to provide its core statutory services alongside its commercial laboratory and valuations divisions, ensuring compliance with UK hallmarking legislation and international precious metal standards.

Future operations will center on maintaining regulatory excellence and expanding the office’s footprint in both traditional hallmarking and specialized precious metal analysis. 

Guest’s operational experience is expected to support the implementation of new digital tracking systems and service performance metrics aimed at improving throughput for high-volume commercial clients.

Simon Meddings, CEO of the Birmingham Assay Office, said: “We thank Doug for his leadership and dedication to the assay office over the past nine years. We are appointing Roxanne as the 15th assay master and ceo in our 253-year history. Roxanne’s experience and knowledge of this business leave me with confidence that we will deliver, not only for the assay office but for Birmingham.”