Hire a Fractional CCO
A fractional Chief Compliance Officer gives your business access to experienced compliance leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time CCO appointment. Whether you are building a compliance framework from scratch, navigating regulatory change, or managing an FCA review, a fractional CCO provides the oversight and expertise your business needs — on a schedule that fits your requirements.
Exec Capital recruits fractional CCOs for UK businesses across financial services, fintech, healthcare, professional services, and regulated sectors. Every search is led personally by Adrian Lawrence FCA. We deliver a qualified shortlist within 3–7 working days.
| About the Founder — Adrian Lawrence FCA |
| Adrian Lawrence is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW verified) and the founder of Exec Capital. He has placed fractional, interim and permanent executives across C-suite and board-level functions for UK businesses since 2018 — including Chief Compliance Officers, Chief Risk Officers and senior governance leaders for regulated and growth-stage businesses. Exec Capital is operated by an ICAEW-registered practice, registered at Companies House (no. 13329383).
Every fractional CCO search is led personally by Adrian. No junior consultants. No handoffs. Speak to Adrian: 020 3834 9616 · recruitment@execcapital.co.uk |
What Is a Fractional Chief Compliance Officer?
A fractional CCO is an experienced compliance executive who works with your business on a part-time or defined-day basis rather than as a full-time employee. The engagement is flexible — typically one to three days per week — and provides board-level compliance oversight without the overhead of a permanent C-suite hire.
The role carries the same responsibilities as a full-time CCO: regulatory compliance, risk management, policy development, staff training, and liaison with the FCA, ICO, or other relevant regulators. The difference is that the fractional model makes that expertise financially accessible to businesses that do not yet need or cannot yet justify a full-time appointment.
The International Compliance Association (ICA) defines compliance as a proactive function — not simply a reactive response to regulatory events. A fractional CCO delivers exactly that: structured, ongoing oversight that reduces the risk of regulatory breach and positions your business to grow with confidence.
“As a regulated firm approaching FCA authorisation we needed compliance leadership that could build our framework correctly from the start — not remediate it later at significant cost. A full-time CCO was premature given our stage. The fractional CCO Exec Capital placed designed our compliance framework, managed our FCA application, and supported our first supervisory engagement. We received authorisation without material requirements, which our legal advisers told us was unusually clean for a first application. The fractional model was exactly right for our stage.”
CEO — UK Fintech Business
When Does a Business Need a Fractional CCO?
The decision to appoint a fractional CCO is typically triggered by one of five situations:
- FCA authorisation or re-authorisation — the regulator expects a named compliance officer with appropriate credentials and capacity. A fractional CCO satisfies this requirement without a full-time hire.
- Regulatory review or skilled persons report — when the FCA initiates a Section 166 review or a supervisory visit, having a credible CCO in place is essential for managing the process.
- Rapid growth into regulated activities — fintechs, lenders, and investment firms expanding their permissions need compliance leadership that can keep pace with the business.
- CCO departure or absence — a fractional appointment bridges the gap while a permanent search is conducted, ensuring there is no period of unmanaged compliance exposure.
- First compliance appointment — smaller regulated businesses appointing a CCO for the first time benefit from the experience a fractional executive brings, rather than building the function from scratch with a junior hire.
What a Fractional CCO Does for Your Business
Regulatory Compliance and FCA Liaison
The fractional CCO ensures your business meets its obligations under applicable legislation, including the Companies Act 2006, FCA rules, and sector-specific regulations. This includes managing the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) where applicable — ensuring that named Senior Managers have clearly defined responsibilities and that Certified Functions are assessed and documented appropriately.
Data Protection and ICO Obligations
For most regulated businesses, compliance extends beyond the FCA to data protection. The fractional CCO works alongside your DPO (or acts as a bridge where no DPO exists) to ensure your ICO obligations under UK GDPR are met — including data subject rights, breach notification procedures, and data protection impact assessments.
Policy Development and Maintenance
A fractional CCO reviews, writes, and maintains the compliance policies that your regulators expect to see: AML and financial crime frameworks, conflicts of interest policies, customer due diligence procedures, and complaints handling. For businesses that have outgrown generic template policies, this is often the highest-value early contribution a CCO makes.
Staff Training and Compliance Culture
Regulation is only as effective as the people who implement it. The fractional CCO develops and delivers compliance training programmes appropriate to your business — covering financial crime, conduct risk, regulatory obligations, and the practical implications of SMCR certification for individual employees.
Board and Audit Committee Reporting
The fractional CCO provides regular compliance reporting to the board or audit committee — covering the regulatory environment, internal compliance metrics, incidents, and emerging risks. This provides the documented oversight trail that regulators expect to see in supervised firms.
| “We appointed a fractional CCO through Exec Capital during a period of significant regulatory change in our fintech business. The candidate Adrian introduced had exactly the FCA and SMCR experience we needed and was contributing meaningfully from week one. The shortlist arrived faster than we expected and the quality of the candidates was genuinely impressive.”
— James Whitfield, CEO, Regulated Fintech Business, London |
Start Your Fractional CCO Search Today
Exec Capital places fractional CCOs with UK businesses across financial services, fintech, insurance, professional services and all FCA-regulated sectors. Adrian Lawrence FCA leads every search personally and delivers a qualified shortlist within 3–7 working days.
| Speak with Adrian Lawrence FCA Today
No obligation. Shortlist in 3–7 working days. Permanent, fractional and interim CCO recruitment across the UK. 020 3834 9616 · recruitment@execcapital.co.uk · execcapital.co.uk/contact/ |
Fractional CCO Engagement Models
The right engagement model depends on the regulatory complexity of your business, the urgency of the requirement, and your budget. Exec Capital recruits across all models and can advise on which best fits your situation.
| Engagement | Commitment | Best suited to | Typical day rate |
| Fractional CCO | 1–3 days per week | Scaling businesses, regulated SMEs, fintechs | £800–£1,500/day |
| Interim CCO | Full-time, fixed term | Regulatory reviews, leadership gaps, M&A | £1,000–£2,000/day |
| Part-time CCO | Fixed days per month | Early-stage or lightly regulated businesses | £600–£1,200/day |
| Project CCO | Defined deliverable | Regulatory audits, policy overhauls, FCA applications | By project |
For businesses considering a permanent CCO appointment, see our CCO Recruitment page. For urgent interim requirements, see Interim CCO.
Sectors We Place Fractional CCOs Into
Exec Capital has placed fractional compliance executives across the following sectors:
- Fintech and payments businesses — EMIs, PIs, and firms with FCA authorisation
- Consumer credit and lending — regulated lenders, peer-to-peer platforms, and specialist credit firms
- Asset management and investment management — regulated investment firms and wealth managers
- Insurance and insurtech — FCA regulated insurers, MGAs, and insurance intermediaries
- Professional services — law firms, accountancy practices, and advisory businesses with compliance obligations
- Healthcare and life sciences — businesses operating under CQC or MHRA regulation alongside FCA oversight
- Technology businesses expanding into regulated activities — SaaS and platform businesses seeking or holding FCA permissions
What Makes an Effective Fractional CCO?
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a fractional CCO cost?
Day rates for fractional CCOs in the UK typically range from £800 to £1,500 per day depending on the regulatory complexity of the business, the CCO’s sector background, and the scope of work. For businesses requiring FCA SMCR expertise or experience of regulatory reviews, rates are towards the upper end of this range. Exec Capital can provide remuneration benchmarking as part of the initial briefing call.
Can a fractional CCO satisfy FCA requirements for a named compliance officer?
Yes, in most cases. The FCA’s SMCR requires that a named individual holds the Compliance Oversight SMF (SMF16) and, where applicable, the MLRO function (SMF17). A fractional CCO can hold these named functions provided they have sufficient time and capacity to discharge the responsibilities effectively. Exec Capital can advise on the specific requirements for your firm’s regulatory permissions.
How quickly can you place a fractional CCO?
Exec Capital delivers a shortlist of qualified, assessed fractional CCO candidates within 3–7 working days. For businesses facing regulatory deadlines or operating without compliance oversight, we can move faster where required. The full placement process from brief to start date typically takes two to four weeks.
Do you also recruit interim and permanent CCOs?
Yes. Exec Capital recruits across all three models. See CCO Recruitment for permanent appointments and Interim CCO for short-notice interim placements.
What sectors do you place fractional CCOs in?
Exec Capital has placed fractional CCOs across fintech, payments, consumer credit, asset management, insurance, professional services, and healthcare. We have no sector restriction and can source CCOs with the specific regulatory background your business requires.
Related Executive Recruitment Services
If you are building your compliance and governance function or evaluating the full range of C-suite options, the following pages may be relevant: CCO Recruitment — permanent Chief Compliance Officer search | Interim CCO — rapid placement for defined-period requirements | Fractional Executive Recruitment — all fractional C-suite roles | Fractional CEO | Fractional COO | Fractional CFO | C-Suite Recruitment | Executive Search.
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