This half-day workshop is ideal for firms that need a practical overview of SMCR, clarity on responsibilities and conduct rules, and a clear understanding of next steps. For deeper implementation support, we also deliver a full-day SMCR programme.
Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) – A Practical Guide & Workshop
A ½ Day Course
Join our half-day practical workshop designed to help FCA-authorised firms understand the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR), including Senior Manager responsibilities, Certification requirements, and Conduct Rules. The course focuses on clarity, accountability, and practical application — not theory.
What Makes This Course Different?
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Designed as a practical kick-start for firms beginning or reviewing their SMCR approach
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Draws on real lessons learned from the banking SMCR rollout, applied to solo-regulated firms
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Focuses on identifying key employees, responsibilities, and accountability
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Clear, practical explanation of Conduct Rules and why they matter
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Delegates leave with a clear understanding of next steps for their SMCR journey
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Goes deeper than a typical overview session, while remaining accessible in a half-day format
Objectives
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Review and understand the background and purpose of SMCR
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Understand key employee categories, including SMFs, Certified Persons, and other staff groups
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Identify and evaluate Senior Manager Functions and responsibilities
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Define who falls within the Certification Regime and why
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Apply Conduct Rules across the organisation in a practical way
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Understand breach identification and reporting expectations
Content
Overview and journey to the SMCR regime – briefly!
- The backstory to SMCR; the Parliamentary Commission for Banking Standards (PCBS)
- The regulatory reaction
- The Fair & Effective Markets Review
- Key implementation considerations and common pitfalls
- Aims and Objectives of SMCR
- What is the SMCR, what does it mean and why does it matter
Key Regime Features
- The enhanced regime
- The core regime
- The limited scope regime
- Overview of new staff categorisations
We also highlight common implementation weaknesses the FCA continues to see, including unclear responsibility mapping, weak certification evidence, and poor conduct rules embedding.
Senior Managers Regime
- SMF categories
- Prescribed responsibilities
- Statement of responsibilities
- Management responsibility maps
- Duty of responsibility
- Reasonable steps
Workshop
- Map your own company statements of responsibility
- Map your own responsibility map (Core & Limited)
Certification Regime
- Significant harm functions
- Fitness and Competency checks
- Annual assessments
- Self-certification
- When and how to assess Fitness & Propriety
- Regulatory references and why they need to be accurate
- The importance of accurate regulatory references and record keeping
Conduct Rules
- Individual conduct rules, what are they and how do they apply
- Tier 2 Conduct rules for SMFs
- Reasonable steps for SMFs
Breach Reporting
- The link between disciplinary issues and conduct rule breaches
- Breach reporting obligations to the FCA
What we can learn from Phase 1 of the banking roll out
- What we can learn from banking experience to date
- Transitioning to the SMCR
- Taking Action
Background of the Trainer
Course Director
Lee has worked with a range of organisations from small start-ups through to FTSE100 companies, many that have had difficulties identifying and managing conflicts of interests, and helped them develop effective, robust systems. He has adapted his experience to develop this course and supporting materials with the practical skills-based focus. Lee’s skills, qualifications and experience make him ideal for supporting anyone wishing to develop top-class knowledge in the management of conflicts of interests.
Having been a freelance consultant and trainer for twenty years, your course director was appointed as a skilled person in 2012 and has conducted many audits, assessments, roll-outs and change management programmes from complaints programs, conduct risk frameworks, global risk frameworks, as well as having provided regulatory interpretation to investment banks, worked on many risk mitigation programs and set up banks.
Lee has supported firms with SMCR implementation, responsibility mapping, certification frameworks, conduct rules embedding, and governance reviews, helping firms evidence accountability and meet FCA expectations in practice.
Course Summary
The Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) has applied to banks since 2016 and to FCA solo-regulated firms since December 2019. The FCA continues to focus on accountability, governance, and individual responsibility, with ongoing scrutiny of how firms implement and evidence SMCR in practice.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is tightening up its rules, replacing the current Approved Persons Regime with the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR). The regime has already been operating in the banking sector for some time and will this year extend to all within the financial services sector.
This change will affect all FCA regulated firms including non-UK firms with permission to carry out regulated activities in the UK, and it will focus on three key areas:
- The Senior Managers Regime
- The Certification Regime
- Conduct Rules
Target group
- All staff within authorised firms will be in scope
- Senior Manager Functions (SMFs)
- Certified Persons (CPs)
- Non-approved
- Also strongly recommended for those who will be directly involved in the implementation; Compliance & HR.
Format
Duration is as a half day classroom workshop
This half-day workshop provides clarity and direction. Firms requiring detailed implementation support may prefer our full-day SMCR course.
Call us on 0207 097 1434
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this half-day SMCR workshop designed for?
This workshop is designed for FCA-authorised firms that need a practical overview of SMCR, including senior managers, compliance teams, HR professionals, and staff involved in governance, accountability, or regulatory oversight. It is particularly useful for firms starting their SMCR journey or reviewing their current approach.
Is this course suitable if we are new to SMCR?
Yes. This course is suitable for firms and individuals who are new to SMCR and need clarity on the regime, key responsibilities, and next steps. No prior specialist knowledge is required.
How does this half-day course differ from your full-day SMCR course?
This half-day workshop provides a structured overview and practical guidance on SMCR, helping firms understand responsibilities, conduct rules, and implementation priorities. Our full-day course goes deeper into implementation detail, project planning, and evidence-building for firms that require more comprehensive support.
Does the course cover all SMCR regimes?
Yes. The workshop covers the Enhanced, Core, and Limited Scope regimes, explaining how each applies and what obligations differ depending on firm type.
Will the course help us identify Senior Managers and Certified Persons?
Yes. The course helps delegates understand how to identify Senior Manager Functions (SMFs) and Certified Persons, what responsibilities apply to each category, and what firms need to consider when assigning roles.
Are Conduct Rules covered in this workshop?
Yes. The workshop explains Individual Conduct Rules and Senior Manager Conduct Rules, what they mean in practice, and why they matter for governance, accountability, and disciplinary processes.
Is this a practical or theoretical course?
This is a practical, practitioner-led workshop. It includes guided exercises and real-world examples to help delegates understand how SMCR works in practice, rather than focusing on theory alone.
Will we leave with clear next steps?
Yes. Delegates leave with a clear understanding of what actions their firm should take next, including areas to prioritise and common pitfalls to avoid when implementing or reviewing SMCR.
