Location: Central London (near Liverpool Street)
Salary: £160,000–£220,000 base + bonus/equity, dependent on experience
Type: Full-time, Permanent
Role
We are recruiting a Head of Third Country Branch (SMF19) for a newly authorising international insurtech establishing a UK third-country branch of its European-authorised insurance carrier. The branch is seeking PRA authorisation and FCA regulation, and this appointment must be named in that application.
As a de novo UK entity with no operating history of its own, the PRA and FCA will place particular weight on the proven, individual regulatory track record of the person named to this seat — the branch's credibility with its regulators rests substantially on this appointment. This is not a role for a strong adjacent candidate stepping up; it requires someone who has already carried this level of regulatory accountability.
- Hold overall responsibility for the conduct of all the branch's regulated activities
- Own the branch's prescribed responsibilities: UK risk management, UK compliance, UK systems and controls, escalation of regulator correspondence, capital and liquidity, regulatory reporting, the ORSA, the business model and outsourcing
- Report to the group board with genuine, demonstrable independence of decision-making
- Act as the branch's primary point of accountability to the PRA and FCA
- Exercise independent judgement against group direction where UK regulatory or commercial interests require it
- A proven track record of having personally held an equivalent senior regulated role — SMF19, SMF1 (CEO), or SMF7 (Group Entity SMF) — at an authorised insurer, MGA or insurtech of comparable size and nature of business
- Demonstrable, evidenced experience of exercising independent judgement against a parent or group in that role, not merely holding the title
- A track record the individual can substantiate directly to the PRA and FCA as part of the authorisation process — general C-suite or leadership experience without the specific regulated designation will not meet the bar
- Established credibility with UK regulators, ideally from prior direct dealings with the PRA and/or FCA
Benefits
- Competitive base salary with bonus and/or equity depending on group structure
- A genuinely senior, board-reporting mandate with real decision-making authority — not a reporting-in seat
- Ground-floor role in a live UK regulatory authorisation and market entry
- Central London base, close to Liverpool Street
About Us
Exec Capital is a specialist executive search practice led personally by Adrian Lawrence FCA, focused on C-suite, board-level and senior manager function appointments for FCA and PRA-regulated firms. This search is being run on a confidential basis; the client will not be named at this stage. All enquiries are handled in strict confidence.
Learn more about our work in this space: SMF19 Recruitment
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