On Wednesday 17^th June, 2020, Julie Pardy, Director of Regulation & Market Engagement (Worksmart) joined Employment Partners Marian Bloodworth and David Williams  from Kemp Little LLP for an in-depth look at the current HR implications for firms around Covid-19 and the on-going requirements of the SM&CR regime.

The team at Worksmart are delighted to announce that we have won in four categories at the 2020 ACQ5 Global Awards.

On a very hot and sunny Tuesday in June, I was delighted to be invited to talk to Investment Association members on the topic of SM&CR.  Joining a line-up that included David Blunt, Head of Conduct Specialists at the FCA, Angela Hayes from TLT, Natasha Cork from HSBC Asset Management and Sarah Thwaites, Senior Policy Adviser at The IA.  The afternoon was given over to discussing regulatory expectations around SM&CR and practical experience of the dual regulated regime in Banking.

On Thursday 4^th June, 2020, Julie Pardy, Director of Regulation & Market Engagement (Worksmart) joined the London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF) to discuss the implementation of SM&CR for solo regulated firms, particularly the challenges and priorities for those teams responsible for implementation.

On Thursday 28^th May 2020, Philip Allen (Innovate Learn), Adrian Harvey (CEO, Elephants don’t forget) and Julie Pardy (Worksmart) hosted an interactive webinar; Covid-19 proves to be the SM&CRlitmus test. Over 100 delegates joined us and listened intently to the discussions which centred around six key SM&CR related issues that are currently affecting regulated firms:

On Tuesday 19^th May, 2020, Marian Bloodworth (HR Lawyer, Kemp Little) and Julie Pardy, Emma Howell and Nic Dent (Worksmart) hosted a SM&CR virtual breakfast. The webinar was eagerly attended by 50 delegates where we discussed the current challenges for firms, whilst sharing our own experiences from multiple SM&CR implementation.

I’ve heard it said before…  “The FCA have got bigger fish to fry, they aren’t going to be looking into how our business operates.  There are only 400 of us and we are not a fixed portfolio firm with a named supervisor. We think they have probably forgotten who we are since they authorised us…..”

The FCA has recently published its business plan for 2020/21, setting out its strategic focus for the next three years.

As you might expect in the current climate, it’s shorter than usual, with a focus on potential market disruption caused by COVID-19, but still manages to convey key areas of concern.

Pandemic, Senior Manager Accountabilities and flexibility are not really a selection of words that anyone would have envisioned being joined together only a few months ago...

For solo-regulated firms, the SM&CR implementation date has arrived.  We’re proud to have successfully prepared some of the UK’s best known financial brands for this impending regime.  What we have also discovered is that surprisingly, many firms are still not ready and there’s a surprising reason as to why.