02 · Risk Talent · Executive search
Executive search for risk leaders
Risk Talent is RiskTAE’s executive search practice for risk leadership in banking and financial services. We run executive searches, usually retained and exclusive, for chief risk officers, heads of risk and the leaders who report to them, and for the non-executives who chair risk committees. We specialise in the senior and hard-to-fill roles.
A partner owns every search from brief to first day, and every candidate is tested on the technical substance of the role before you see a CV. You meet people who can do the job, and you hear from us what the market really thinks of your role.
Roles
Which risk leaders do you search for?
- Chief Risk Officer SMF4
- Global Head of Risk Group
- Head of Prudential Risk Capital
- Head of Credit Risk Financial
- Head of Market and Liquidity Risk Treasury
- Head of Non-Financial Risk Operational
- Head of Operational Resilience SS1/21
- Head of Third-Party Risk TPRM
- Head of Cyber and ICT Risk Technology
- Risk Committee Chair and NED Board
Senior roles across the first and second lines, on the financial and non-financial side, for banks, building societies, investment firms, asset managers and insurers.
- Risk leadership: chief risk officers (SMF4) at group, deputy and interim level, global and group heads of risk, and combined heads of risk and compliance.
- Financial risk: heads of credit, market, liquidity and treasury risk, prudential risk and capital management, model risk and validation, and investment and insurance risk.
- Non-financial risk: heads of non-financial and operational risk, operational resilience, third-party risk (TPRM), cyber and ICT risk, enterprise risk management, and climate, conduct and AI risk.
- The board: risk committee chairs (SMF10) and non-executive directors with deep risk experience.
Below the most senior level we build the teams these leaders run, from capital and regulatory reporting specialists to model risk and credit risk managers, often as part of a wider change such as the move to Basel 3.1. See risk advisory and consulting.
Process
How does a retained search work?
Brief
A 30-minute call, then a written brief that sets out the role, what success looks like in the first year, the terms and the timetable.
Market map
We identify the people who fit, most of whom are not looking, and approach them in confidence without naming you until they are interested.
Technical screen
We interview each candidate on the substance of the role before you see a CV.
Shortlist
You receive a short list with our written view of each person, and we run interviews and feedback on both sides.
Offer, approval and start
We handle the offer, plan around the regulator’s approval where the role is a senior management function, and stay close to you and your new hire through notice and the first months.
Interim cover
How quickly can you cover a chief risk officer who leaves without notice?
PS12/26 in force
Interim search runs to the regulator’s timetable. Under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, someone can cover a senior management function for up to 12 weeks without approval. Since 24 April 2026, under the PRA’s policy statement PS12/26, the firm must submit a complete application for approval within those 12 weeks, and the regulators then have their statutory three months to decide.
We plan the interim and the permanent search around those dates, so the role stays covered while the permanent appointment is approved.
Source: Bank of England, PS12/26 Review of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, phase 1, 22 April 2026.
Board search
How do you find a risk committee chair or risk NED?
- Chair of the Risk Committee SMF10
- Non-Executive Director Risk expertise
Boards need non-executives who can challenge the chief risk officer on the substance: capital and liquidity, risk appetite, and the stress tests behind the ICAAP and the recovery plan. We search for risk committee chairs and for non-executive directors with that depth, for banks, building societies, insurers and other regulated firms.
In banks, insurers and firms under the enhanced senior managers regime, the chair of the risk committee holds a senior management function, SMF10, so the appointment needs the regulator’s approval before the person takes up the role. We plan the search around that approval from the first brief.
We work with the chair of the board and the nomination committee from the brief to the first board meeting: the gap in the board’s skills, the time the role really takes, the committee’s terms of reference and the regulator’s timetable.
Source: FCA Handbook, SUP 10C.5A.8R, the chair of the risk committee function (SMF10).
Working with your team
Do you work with in-house talent acquisition teams?
Yes, often. HR, in-house talent acquisition and RPO teams own the process and the employer brand; we bring a map of the senior risk market and the technical screening a generalist team cannot easily run.
We can take one hard-to-fill role off your list or support a whole risk hiring programme.
For risk professionals
Thinking about your next move in risk?
If your next role is a step up, such as leading a function, joining an executive committee or reporting to the board, talk to us in confidence. We will tell you how the market sees someone with your experience and which firms are building their risk leadership.
We never put your name forward without your agreement.
FAQ
Questions about Risk Talent
Do you work on a retained basis?
Usually. Most senior searches run on a retained, exclusive basis, which lets us approach people who are not on the market and give your search our full attention; some roles suit a contingent approach. We agree the terms in writing before any work starts.
What levels of role do you search for?
Senior leaders up to chief risk officer and global head of risk, and non-executive directors with risk expertise. We also build the teams those leaders run.
Do you search outside the UK?
Yes. Most searches are for roles in London and elsewhere in the UK, and we also run searches for international clients and for roles that span jurisdictions.
How do you keep a search confidential?
We approach candidates without naming the client until they have shown interest, and where a client asks, candidates sign a non-disclosure agreement before we name the firm. We never share a candidate’s details without their agreement.
What does a search cost?
Fees depend on the role and the terms of the search, and we agree them in writing before any work starts.
In depth
The roles we search for
CRO search
Retained search for chief risk officers in UK banks, building societies and insurers, led by a partner, with SMF4 approval planned from the first brief.
02Interim CRO
Interim chief risk officers for UK banks and lenders at short notice, with the 12-week rule and the SMF4 application planned from the first day.
03Head of operational risk search
Executive search for heads of operational and non-financial risk in banking and financial services, with every candidate tested on technical substance.
04Head of credit risk search
Executive search for heads of credit risk in UK banks, challenger banks and specialist lenders, led by a partner who has recruited risk leaders since 2003.
05Head of model risk search
Executive search for heads of model risk and model validation, with every candidate tested against the PRA's SS1/23 model risk management principles.
06ERM leadership search
Executive search for heads of enterprise risk who can run a risk framework, report to the board with authority and hold the first line to account.
07Market and liquidity risk search
Executive search for heads of market, liquidity and treasury risk in banks and trading firms, with candidates tested on the FRTB and the ILAAP.
08Risk and compliance leadership search
Executive search for combined heads of risk and compliance in smaller UK firms, where one leader must satisfy the PRA, the FCA and the board.
09Risk NED search
Search for risk committee chairs and non-executive directors with real risk expertise, for banks, building societies, insurers and investment firms.
10For talent acquisition teams
How RiskTAE works alongside in-house talent acquisition teams and RPOs on senior risk hires: one partner, a technical screen and no duplicated effort.
11Candidates and registration
Talk in confidence to a partner who has recruited risk leaders since 2003. Register with RiskTAE and get straight advice on your next senior move in risk.
12Head of prudential risk search
Executive search for heads of prudential risk and capital management who can own the ICAAP, ILAAP and Basel 3.1 numbers and defend them to the PRA.
13Head of operational resilience search
Executive search for heads of operational resilience who can set impact tolerances, map important business services and meet PRA SS1/21 in practice.
14Head of third-party risk search
Executive search for heads of third-party risk who can run outsourcing, supplier and critical third-party oversight to the standard of PRA SS2/21.
15Head of cyber and ICT risk search
Executive search for second-line heads of cyber and ICT risk in financial services: leaders who can challenge the CISO and report to the board.
16Head of climate risk search
Executive search for heads of climate risk in UK banks and insurers: leaders who can build climate risk into capital, stress testing and risk appetite.
17Head of investment risk search
Executive search for heads of investment risk at asset managers and wealth firms: leaders who can challenge fund managers on liquidity and market risk.
One expert firm
The rest of the risk function, from the same team
Next step
Tell us about the role
A 30-minute call is enough to agree the brief and whether we are the right firm to run the search.
Brief us on a role
Tell us about the role and a partner will come back to you. Treated in confidence.
Prefer email? talent@risktae.com or +44 20 3996 9599. We use these details only to reply to you: privacy notice.