Hanson Search‘s Governance and Regulatory Affairs Executive Search practice, part of Hanson Corporate, helps boards hire the leaders who keep organisations accountable, well-governed and on the right side of an expanding regulatory landscape. We advise FTSE 100 boards, financial services institutions, regulated industries, sovereign-backed entities and private equity portfolio companies on senior governance and regulatory appointments where board confidence and regulatory standing are at stake.

Good governance has moved from the back office to the boardroom. Company Secretaries, Heads of Governance and regulatory affairs leaders now advise directly on board effectiveness, regulatory strategy and the decisions that protect an organisation’s licence to operate. The people who do this well are few, highly regarded and rarely available.

Senior Governance and Regulatory Affairs Roles We Recruit

Our Governance and Regulatory Affairs Executive Search practice covers the senior governance and regulatory bracket. We place Company Secretaries and Group Company Secretaries, Heads of Corporate Governance, Heads of Regulatory Affairs, Directors of Regulatory Strategy, Heads of Board Governance and Heads of Public Policy and Regulation.

We also lead Governance and Regulatory Affairs recruitment for senior appointments in regulatory engagement, market access, ESG governance, board advisory and the non-executive and chair-level mandates that anchor strong governance.

The common thread is judgement. Our clients want a leader who can hold the board to account, manage the regulator relationship, and protect the organisation’s standing under scrutiny.

Why Governance and Regulatory Affairs Hiring Has Changed

The governance brief has widened faster than almost any board function. Three shifts explain why.

Regulation keeps expanding. From the FCA and PRA to sector regulators and global regimes, the volume and reach of regulation has grown sharply, and boards need leaders who can turn that complexity into clear strategy rather than risk.

Accountability has gone personal. Senior managers regimes, director duties and tougher enforcement mean governance failures now carry individual consequences, raising the bar for who boards trust in these roles.

Governance is now a reputational asset. Investors, regulators and the public judge organisations on how well they are run, and strong governance has become a genuine source of competitive confidence.

The strongest candidates combine technical governance and regulatory depth with the presence to advise a board, the credibility to engage a regulator, and the judgement to act under pressure.

How We Approach Governance and Regulatory Affairs Executive Search

Every Governance and Regulatory Affairs Executive Search is led personally by a senior consultant, end to end. We resist the volume-agency habits that erode quality at the top of the regulated market.

We map the market widely, because the strongest governance leader often sits inside a regulator, a professional body, a law firm or an advisory practice rather than a corporate function. Every candidate is benchmarked on governance and regulatory credibility, board and regulator-facing presence, suitability for roles that carry personal accountability, and the judgement to lead when an organisation is under scrutiny.

Diverse and inclusive shortlists are prioritised on every mandate. As a B Corp, responsible search is built into how we work.

Speak to Our Governance and Regulatory Affairs Executive Search Team

If you are hiring a Company Secretary, Head of Governance or regulatory affairs leader, we would welcome a confidential conversation. We advise organisations across London, Europe, the USA and the Middle East, from FTSE 100 boards and financial institutions to regulated industries, sovereign-backed entities and private equity portfolio companies.

Get in touch