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Insights for boards and senior leaders
The Executive Blog
Practical articles on hiring and leading at the top of a business: C-suite and board appointments, executive pay, fractional and interim leadership, and Senior Manager roles in FCA-regulated firms.
All articlesFCA and SMF rolesBoards and NEDsCEOs and MDsCFOs and finance leadersTechnology leadersFractional and interimHiring and successionPE and family offices
Guidance for boards and the people they appoint
Founders, chairs, investors and executives ask us the same questions again and again. When does a growing business need its first CFO or a full-time CEO? What should a COO earn? Is a fractional executive enough, or is it time for a permanent appointment? We publish our answers here, in plain English and grounded in the searches we run every week.
Articles are written by founder Adrian Lawrence FCA, a Fellow of the ICAEW, and our search team. They cover leadership hiring and succession, executive compensation and equity, board and non-executive appointments, private equity and family offices, technology leadership and Senior Manager Function appointments in regulated firms, and we update them when the rules or the market change.
For boards and investors, we cover how to scope a senior role, what to pay, how to assess candidates and take references, and when interim or fractional leadership makes more sense than a permanent hire. For executives, we cover interviews, offers and equity, notice and restrictive covenants, and the move from an executive career to a board portfolio. We also follow the regulatory changes that shape senior hiring, from the Senior Managers and Certification Regime to the UK Corporate Governance Code.
New to the topic? Start with one of our core guides, or use the search and topic filters above to find what you need.
Start here
Executive salary guide →What C-suite and director roles pay across the UK. What is a fractional executive? →How part-time C-suite leadership works and what it costs. CEO succession planning →A practical guide for UK boards. SMF roles guide →Every Senior Manager Function, and who needs approval.FCA and SMF roles
Showing 13–24 of 55
CRO Recruitment at Challenger Banks and Dual-Regulated FirmsCRO Recruitment at Challenger Banks and Dual-Regulated Firms The Chief Risk Officer role at a challenger bank or dual-regulated financial institution carries…Read more →
The Board-Level CRO: Governance Positioning and SMF4 Approval ConsiderationsThe Board-Level CRO: Governance Positioning and SMF4 Approval Considerations The Chief Risk Officer at an FCA-regulated firm occupies a governance position that…Read more →
SMF13 Chair of Nominations CommitteeChair of Nominations Committee (SMF13) Appointments: Succession Governance The Chair of the Nominations Committee at an FCA-regulated firm holds a designation that…Read more →
Chair of Remuneration Committee at FCA FirmsChair of Remuneration Committee (SMF12) at FCA-Regulated Firms: Governance and Pay The Chair of the Remuneration Committee at an FCA-regulated firm is…Read more →
Consumer Duty: The Chair’s Role in OversightThe Chair's Role in Consumer Duty Oversight: Hiring Implications Consumer Duty has changed what a Chair needs to bring to a retail-facing…Read more →
Chair Succession in PE-Backed Regulated FirmsChair Succession in PE-Backed Financial Services Businesses Chair succession at a PE-backed financial services firm involves a set of competing pressures that…Read more →Wealth Management Executive Director HiringExecutive Director Recruitment at Wealth Management Firms Executive Director appointments at wealth management firms sit at the intersection of several distinctive governance…Read more →
Hiring a Deputy CEO at an FCA-Regulated FirmHiring a Deputy CEO at a Regulated Firm: SMF3 vs SMF1 Succession Considerations The Deputy CEO role at an FCA-regulated firm sits…Read more →
CEO Succession at an FCA-Regulated FirmCEO Succession at Regulated Firms: Timelines, FCA Engagement and Contingency Planning CEO succession at an FCA-regulated firm is one of the most…Read more →
Hiring a CEO Without Previous SMF ApprovalFirst-Time SMF1: Hiring a CEO Who Has Never Held an SMF Role Before The assumption that a CEO appointment at an FCA-regulated…Read more →
Senior Managers vs Certification RegimeCertification Regime vs Senior Managers Regime: Who Gets Approved, Who Gets Certified One of the most persistent sources of confusion among boards…Read more →
What Boards and Senior Executives at FCA-Regulated Firms Must Understand in 2026What Boards and Senior Executives at FCA-Regulated Firms Must Understand in 2026 By Adrian Lawrence FCA — Exec Capital and FD Capital…Read more →Knowledge Centre
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Structured guides that bring the best material together by topic. See the full Exec Capital Knowledge Centre and our Insights.
About the Exec Capital blog
Exec Capital is a specialist executive search firm and one of the five specialist firms of FD Capital Group. We appoint CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CTOs, Managing Directors, commercial and HR leaders, non-executive directors and Senior Manager Function holders on a permanent, interim and fractional basis across the UK, from our offices in London and the West Midlands.
Hiring for your leadership team? See our executive search services and the C-suite roles we recruit. Looking for a role? Register as a candidate or browse live executive jobs.
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