Podcasts

Podcasts for senior managers, compliance leaders and the firms that hire them

The Senior Managers and Certification Regime touches almost every decision a regulated firm makes about its leadership: who runs it, who oversees compliance and money laundering reporting, who chairs the board and its committees, and how those people are approved, supported and replaced. It is a subject that rewards listening to people who deal with it every day.

This page brings together a group of podcasts that cover SMF appointments, FCA regulation and senior hiring in regulated financial services. The flagship is SMF Unlocked, a show dedicated entirely to FCA Senior Manager Functions. Alongside it sit four related shows from the same family of specialist recruitment firms, each focused on a different level of leadership: finance directors and CFOs, C-suite executives, non-executive directors, and qualified finance professionals.

All five are hosted by Adrian Lawrence FCA, a Fellow of the ICAEW and a former listed-company Finance Director, who founded the group’s first recruitment business in 2018.

SMF Unlocked: the podcast for FCA Senior Manager Functions

SMF Unlocked is a podcast for anyone recruiting, holding or considering an FCA Senior Manager Function. Episodes work through specific parts of the regime, including the Chair, Chief Risk Officer, Compliance Oversight and MLRO functions, the fit and proper test, regulatory references, responsibilities maps and the mistakes firms most often make when appointing senior managers. New episodes are published regularly.

Listen on the major platforms:

The show also has its own podcast website at podpage.com/smf-capital, and the team behind it runs SMF Capital, a specialist recruiter for FCA Senior Manager Function appointments.

Recent SMF Unlocked episodes

  • Introducing SMF Capital: Specialist Recruitment for FCA-Regulated Firms
  • Regulatory References: The Six-Year Rule Explained
  • SMF Unlocked: The Podcast for FCA Senior Management Functions
  • The Conduct Rules Every Senior Manager Must Know
  • From Core to Enhanced: Building a Multi-SMF Team
  • Is Your Responsibilities Map Fit for Purpose?
  • Leading a UK Branch for an Overseas Firm
  • Building Your SMF Team for FCA Authorisation

Who SMF Unlocked is for

  • Boards and CEOs planning senior manager appointments, succession or a move from Core to Enhanced status
  • Founders preparing an FCA authorisation and deciding who their first senior managers should be
  • Compliance and MLRO professionals holding, or aiming for, the SMF16 and SMF17 functions
  • Non-executive directors taking on chair and committee chair functions
  • HR and talent teams who need to understand regulatory references, fit and proper assessments and the approval timetable

The wider family of podcasts

The four shows below are produced by sister recruitment firms. Each covers a different level of leadership, and each includes episodes relevant to FCA-regulated firms and senior manager appointments.

FD Capital’s Podcast

From FD Capital, which recruits fractional, interim and permanent Finance Directors and CFOs, along with compliance leaders for FCA-regulated firms. Episodes cover topics of interest to both employers and finance leaders, including a growing strand on FCA regulation and compliance hiring.

Episodes of particular interest to regulated firms include:

  • Speaking the Language of FCA Regulation
  • The FCA Compliance Blueprint: What Every Regulated Firm Must Know
  • Inside Financial Crime Recruitment: How FCA-Regulated Firms Are Winning the War for AML & Compliance Talent
  • Consumer Duty in 2026: From Compliance Project to Business Reality

Listen: Podpage · Spotify · Apple Podcasts

Exec Capital

From Exec Capital, a London-based executive recruitment boutique that appoints C-suite and board-level leaders, including the approval-tier senior managers at regulated firms such as chief executives and executive directors.

Episodes of particular interest to regulated firms include:

  • Hiring Under SMCR: The Executive Roles Firms Keep Getting Wrong
  • What Should Executives Really Be Paid in 2026? The Truth About C-Suite, Director and FCA SMF Salaries

Listen: Podpage · Spotify · Apple Podcasts

Ned Capital Podcast

The official podcast of NED Capital, a UK non-executive director recruitment firm. It covers board appointments, governance and the role of the independent non-executive, including the chair and committee chair functions that sit within the Senior Managers regime at FCA-regulated firms.

Episodes of particular interest to regulated firms include:

  • Do NEDs Need FCA Approval? Understanding the Regulatory Role of Financial Services Directors

Listen: Podpage · Spotify · Apple Podcasts

Accountancy Capital’s Podcast

From Accountancy Capital, which recruits qualified finance professionals below director level, including financial controllers, FP&A and transaction specialists, and finance roles inside FCA-regulated firms. Episodes cover accountancy careers and recruitment across the UK.

Listen: Podpage · Spotify

Where to start

If you are new to the Senior Managers regime, start with the SMF Unlocked episodes on building an SMF team for authorisation and on the conduct rules every senior manager must know. If you are planning a specific appointment, the episodes on regulatory references and responsibilities maps cover the points that most often delay approvals. Finance and compliance leaders weighing their next role will find the FD Capital episodes on FCA regulation and financial crime recruitment useful, while board members should begin with the NED Capital episode on FCA approval for non-executives.

Why a podcast on SMF appointments?

The Senior Managers regime is detailed, and much of what matters in practice is not written down in the rules. How long approvals really take, what the FCA tends to ask at interview, how firms handle a sudden resignation, and what separates a credible SMF candidate from a weak one are all questions best answered by people who see appointments every week. The aim of these shows is to share that practical experience in a format that busy board members, founders and compliance professionals can fit around their working week.

For the underlying rules, listeners can refer to the FCA’s own Senior Managers and Certification Regime pages and the Financial Services Register, which shows who holds which senior manager function at each firm.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I listen to SMF Unlocked?

SMF Unlocked is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music and most other podcast apps, using the links above. You can also listen on its podcast website.

How often are new episodes released?

SMF Unlocked publishes new episodes regularly, often several a month. Follow the show in your podcast app to be notified when new episodes go live.

Who hosts the podcasts?

The shows are hosted by Adrian Lawrence FCA, a Fellow of the ICAEW, a former listed-company Finance Director and the founder of the recruitment firms behind them.

Can I suggest a topic or appear as a guest?

Each show’s Podpage includes contact details. Senior managers, compliance professionals and board members with practical experience of the regime are welcome to get in touch.