Consumer Duty: Implications for Board Composition and Senior Hiring Decisions
Consumer Duty: Implications for Board Composition and Senior Hiring Decisions Consumer Duty is the most significant shift in the FCA’s regulatory philosophy in a generation. The move from rules-based compliance to an outcomes-focused standard — where firms must demonstrate that retail clients are consistently receiving …
Wealth Management Senior Recruitment: Consumer Duty’s Impact on the Board Brief
Wealth Management Senior Recruitment: Consumer Duty’s Impact on the Board Brief Consumer Duty has changed the hiring brief at wealth management firms in ways that many boards are still working through. The requirement to demonstrate good outcomes for retail clients — at every stage of …
Senior Board Appointments at Challenger Banks: SMCR, PRA Expectations and the Talent Pool
Senior Board Appointments at Challenger Banks: SMCR, PRA Expectations and the Talent Pool Senior appointments at challenger banks sit in one of the most demanding regulatory environments in UK financial services. The combination of FCA and PRA oversight — dual regulation — means that every …
Chief Operating Officer (SMF24) Appointments at FCA-Regulated Firms
Chief Operating Officer (SMF24) Appointments at FCA-Regulated Firms The Chief Operating Officer role at an FCA-regulated firm has been transformed by a decade of regulatory development. Where the COO was once primarily an internal efficiency function, the designation of the role as SMF24 — the …
Head of Internal Audit (SMF5) Recruitment at FCA-Authorised Firms
Head of Internal Audit (SMF5) Recruitment at FCA-Authorised Firms The Head of Internal Audit is one of the most structurally complex appointments a regulated firm can make. Under SMCR, where the role is a designated senior management function — SMF5 — the individual carries personal …
Hiring a Chief Risk Officer (SMF4) at an FCA-Regulated Firm
Hiring a Chief Risk Officer (SMF4) at an FCA-Regulated Firm Appointing a Chief Risk Officer at an FCA-regulated firm is one of the most consequential hiring decisions a board will make. Under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, the CRO typically holds the SMF4 designation …
Chair of Audit Committee (SMF11) Appointments at FCA Firms
Chair of Audit Committee (SMF11) Appointments at FCA Firms The Chair of the Audit Committee at FCA-regulated firms is among the most demanding senior NED appointments in the UK regulated landscape. The SMF11 designation under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime gives the role personal …
Chair of Risk Committee (SMF10) Appointments at FCA Firms
Chair of Risk Committee (SMF10) Appointments at FCA Firms The Chair of the Risk Committee role at FCA-regulated firms has become one of the most demanding senior NED appointments in the UK regulated landscape. The SMF10 designation gives the role personal accountability under the Senior …
Senior Independent Director (SMF14) Recruitment at FCA Firms
Senior Independent Director (SMF14) Recruitment at FCA Firms The Senior Independent Director role at FCA-authorised firms has become one of the most distinct and demanding NED appointments in the UK regulated landscape. The SMF14 designation under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime gives the role …
First-Time Chair at a Regulated Firm: What FCA Approval Requires
First-Time Chair at a Regulated Firm: What FCA Approval Requires The first Chair appointment at an FCA-regulated firm is a particular kind of milestone. The candidate has typically held meaningful senior roles before — often as an executive director, CEO, or NED in non-regulated contexts …


