Broadgate: Built Around Regulatory Hubs
Financial Services talent gathers where capital, supervision, institutional authority and regulatory accountability sit in close contact, and it makes for a unique labour market.
Financial and professional services firms don’t make senior hiring plans in a vacuum. Supervisory expectations, licensing conditions, board scrutiny, enforcement obligations, product structures and jurisdictional risk are in view before a candidate is considered.
International firms may operate across several markets, but regulated hiring still has to satisfy the jurisdiction where accountability sits. A PCF appointment in Dublin, a fund governance hire in Luxembourg or a financial crime role in Zurich cannot be treated as a generic appointment. The evidence required is local, even when the organisation is global.
We built our presence around key regulatory hubs for that reason: London, Dublin, Luxembourg, Zurich and Boston are financial and professional services centres where specialist talent is formed under local regulatory conditions, and where hiring decisions have consequences beyond filling a vacancy.
For hiring leaders in governance, risk, compliance, legal and financial crime, that distinction changes the recruitment process: where to search, what evidence to trust, and how to judge whether experience fits the jurisdiction. Here’s why.
The Localisation of Experience
The hiring challenge rests with understanding which experience will hold up under the conditions of the market in which the appointment sits.
Regulatory hubs develop their own expectations around governance, accountability, conduct, licensing and control. Those expectations influence how roles are scoped, which backgrounds carry weight and where credible talent is likely to be found.
- They also affect the questions employers need to ask:
- Has this person worked under comparable regulatory scrutiny? Do they understand the expectations of local boards and supervisory bodies?
- Is their experience transferable, or does it depend on the market in which it was gained?
- Can they operate with credibility across both local and international stakeholders?
These questions cannot be answered through a job title or CV alone. They require knowledge of the institutions, regulatory history and talent networks that sit behind the appointment.
The Regulatory Hubs Behind Broadgate’s Market Coverage
No two regulatory centres operate in precisely the same way. Each has its own supervisory priorities, financial services specialisms and concentration of regulated employers. Over time, those characteristics create distinct talent markets, with professionals building expertise that is closely aligned to the jurisdiction in which they work.
The profiles below provide an overview of the regulatory bodies, market characteristics and current hiring priorities that define the locations where Broadgate has established its presence.
London
Regulatory Environment: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority, Bank of England.
Market Overview:
One of the world’s leading financial centres, London brings together global banking, insurance, capital markets, asset management and a mature fintech ecosystem. UK-based financial and related professional services contributed £290 billion to UK GVA in 2025, accounting for 11% of total economic output, reinforcing London’s position as one of the world’s foremost centres for regulated financial services.
What’s Creating Hiring Demand?
Demand continues to centre on individual accountability, operational resilience, consumer protection, financial crime and prudential risk. International firms also require senior leaders who can navigate UK regulatory expectations while operating within global governance structures.
Dublin
Regulatory Environment: Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and European Central Bank (ECB).
Market Overview:
Dublin has become a major centre for cross-border financial services, with particular strength across investment funds, payments, banking and fintech. Ireland ranks as the third largest investment fund centre globally and the second largest in Europe, accounting for 6.8% of worldwide fund assets. More than 1,000 fund managers from 51 countries operate in the market, including 17 of the world’s 20 largest asset managers.
What’s Creating Hiring Demand?
Continued expansion across funds and payments, together with the Central Bank of Ireland’s focus on governance and Fitness & Probity, continues to sustain demand for experienced leaders across compliance, risk, legal and controlled functions.
Luxembourg
Regulatory Environment:
Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF).
Market Overview:
Luxembourg is Europe’s largest investment fund centre and the second largest globally, with close to €7.5 trillion in net assets under management. It is also the world’s leading centre for cross-border fund distribution, with Luxembourg funds available in more than 70 countries, alongside more than €2.65 trillion managed by alternative fund managers
What’s Creating Hiring Demand?
Increasing governance expectations, expanding fund structures and ongoing regulatory oversight continue to create demand for conducting officers, board members and specialists across risk, compliance and legal functions.
Zurich
Regulatory Environment
Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
Market Overview
Zurich is at the heart of Switzerland’s banking, wealth management and asset management sectors, bringing together global private banks, insurers and investment firms within one of the world’s most established financial centres. Switzerland’s financial sector contributes around 9% of national gross value added, while approximately 230 banks manage more than CHF 9 trillion in assets, reinforcing the country’s position as the world’s leading centre for cross-border private wealth management.
What’s Creating Hiring Demand?
Increasing expectations around anti-money laundering, sanctions, operational resilience and cross-border client oversight continue to support demand for experienced governance, compliance, legal and financial crime professionals.
Boston
Regulatory Environment
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Federal Reserve and Massachusetts Division of Banks.
Market Overview
Boston is a leading centre for investment management, bringing together global asset managers, private equity firms, venture capital investors and financial technology businesses. Across Massachusetts, the financial services sector comprises more than 6,800 establishments employing over 182,000 people, reflecting the depth and maturity of one of the United States’ most significant financial ecosystems.
What’s Creating Market Demand?
Demand continues to be driven by asset management, private markets, banking and financial technology, alongside increasing regulatory expectations around governance, fiduciary oversight, enterprise risk and compliance.
Talent Pools and Talent Networks Aren’t the Same Thing
Regulated talent markets are often described in terms of their size. In practice, they function through relationships as much as numbers.
Professionals build careers within relatively small regulatory communities. They move between firms overseen by the same supervisory bodies, sit on industry committees, contribute to regulatory consultations and develop reputations that extend well beyond their employer.
That creates networks that cannot be measured through a database. Two markets may have similar numbers of compliance professionals, but the depth of relationships, institutional knowledge and regulatory credibility can differ significantly.
For hiring leaders, understanding those networks provides context that traditional talent mapping cannot. It helps identify where expertise has been developed, how experience is regarded within the market and which professionals are recognised by peers, boards and regulators alike.
That’s why Broadgate invests in the market outside individual hiring processes through:
- Roundtables, panel discussions and fireside conversations with industry leaders
- A thought leadership programme developed with practitioners and sector specialists
- Partnerships with organisations including the International Compliance Association and Independent Audit
- In-person meetings with clients and candidates across our key regulatory hubs
These activities create context that traditional talent mapping cannot provide. They help us understand where expertise has been developed, how experience is regarded within the market and which professionals are recognised by peers, boards and regulators.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring Across Regulatory Jurisdictions
Hiring into a regulated market begins long before candidates are identified. The quality of the appointment is often determined by the quality of the brief.
Before launching a search, organisations should consider:
· Which regulatory framework will this individual operate within? Comparable regulatory exposure is often more valuable than sector experience alone.
· Where does relevant experience typically develop? The strongest candidates may come from institutions with similar governance models rather than direct competitors.
· Which stakeholders will influence success? Board expectations, supervisory engagement and reporting structures differ between jurisdictions.
· Which capabilities are essential from day one? Technical expertise, regulatory credibility and leadership experience do not always develop together.
Answering these questions early creates a clearer search strategy, reduces hiring risk and increases the likelihood of identifying candidates whose experience aligns with the demands of the role.
Recruitment is Only One Part of the Puzzle
Regulator-ready hiring begins with a clear view of the obligations the role will support, the governance structure it will sit within and the capabilities the organisation will need over the coming years.
That means defining the brief in the context of the wider function. Hiring leaders need to understand how the role will interact with boards, regulators and other control functions, as well as the level of authority, technical depth and leadership judgement required.
If you’re unsure as to what your ideal position might look like, ask yourself:
- Which regulatory priorities will this role be responsible for?
- Does the reporting structure support effective oversight and accountability?
- Where do the most important capability gaps sit across the function?
- Which hiring model best suits the need, whether interim, permanent, retained search or a phased team build?
For organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions, these decisions also need to account for local supervisory expectations and the way responsibilities are divided across markets.
A well-defined hiring strategy creates stronger briefs, more relevant shortlists and appointments that are better aligned to the organisation’s regulatory and commercial priorities.
Building Regulator-Ready Teams
As organisations grow, enter new jurisdictions or respond to changing supervisory priorities, the capabilities required across governance, risk, compliance, legal and financial crime evolve alongside them.
That means hiring decisions are often interconnected. A new Head of Compliance may influence the structure of the wider second line. An MLRO appointment may create demand for financial crime specialists. Market expansion may require new governance expertise before operational hiring begins.
Thinking at a team level allows organisations to plan capability over time rather than filling roles as they emerge.
Hiring Across Regulatory Jurisdictions Starts with the Right Conversation
Every regulated market presents its own hiring challenges, governance expectations and talent dynamics. Whether you’re building a new function, making a senior appointment or expanding into a new jurisdiction, defining the right strategy at the outset can make all the difference.
Whether you’re appointing a senior leader, expanding a governance function or entering a new regulatory market, Broadgate can help you benchmark the market, define the brief and identify talent with experience that aligns to your jurisdiction.
Let us know what you want from your hiring plans, and we’ll connect you with the right consultant:
Speak to Broadgate