SMF Capital
Adrian Lawrence FCA, SMF Capital
About SMF Unlocked SMF Unlocked is the podcast for anyone recruiting, holding, or thinking about taking on an FCA Senior Manager Function. Every episode unpacks a specific part of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime — what a designation like Chair, Chief Risk Officer, Compliance Oversight or MLRO actually requires, how the fit and proper test works in practice, and where boards and firms most often get SMF appointments wrong before it's too late to fix cheaply. This isn't a regulatory affairs show for compliance academics. It's a practical, direct look at SMF appointments from someone who runs these searches for a living — real patterns from real searches, the questions that actually separate a strong candidate from a risky one, and the mistakes that turn a straightforward appointment into a six-month Form A headache. About the host Adrian Lawrence FCA is a Fellow of the ICAEW and founder of SMF Capital, a UK recruitment practice specia