The Company
Vasey & Harris Asset Management Limited (VAHA) was founded in 2016 and received FCA authorisation later that year. The firm provides regulated investment management services to professional clients and eligible counterparties, specialising in bespoke risk management advisory services.
VAHA works with corporate clients to help manage their exposure to risks across derivatives, equities, and Contract for Difference (CFD) markets. Its advisory approach combines detailed analysis of client risk portfolios with market insight and tailored recommendations around risk management tools, including futures and options.
The Requirement
VAHA approached Compliance Professionals after an unsuccessful search with another recruitment agency. The firm initially wanted to appoint two separate senior positions:
- Compliance Officer / Head of Compliance & MLRO
- Executive Director (SMF3)
With significant responsibilities across both compliance and executive leadership, VAHA wanted to find the most effective and commercially efficient structure for the appointments, while ensuring access to the right calibre of senior talent. Following a detailed discussion with the client, Compliance Professionals identified an alternative solution: combining the two positions into a single senior role.
Our specialist knowledge of the FCA regulatory framework enabled us to advise VAHA that the responsibilities could be appropriately combined, creating a role that incorporated both the Compliance Officer / Head of Compliance & MLRO responsibilities, including SMF16 and SMF17, and the Executive Director (SMF3) function.
This provided VAHA with access to a broader and more senior candidate pool, while also creating a significant cost saving compared with appointing two separate individuals.
The combined role required an individual capable of overseeing VAHA’s compliance and financial crime framework while also taking responsibility for the firm’s overall leadership and day-to-day management, including its asset management activities.
Our Solution
Our role went beyond traditional recruitment. Following detailed conversations with the firm’s Director and an external consultancy adviser, we provided market insight and salary guidance to ensure the proposed role was both commercially viable and attractive to the right candidates.
VAHA trusted our specialist advice and agreed to the combined-role approach, allowing the firm to benefit from a more cost-effective structure without compromising on the level of experience required.
We then conducted a targeted market mapping exercise, leveraging our 20 years of specialist experience and extensive compliance network. This included approaching both existing contacts and high-calibre passive candidates who were not actively seeking a new opportunity.
From the initial market mapping, we presented eight highly relevant CVs. Five candidates were invited to first-round interviews, with two progressing to the second stage. Following the final selection process, an offer was made to the preferred candidate, who successfully accepted the position.
The Outcome
Compliance Professionals successfully delivered the ideal candidate for VAHA’s newly combined senior role, while taking the hiring process away from the client.
By reworking the initial recruitment brief with VAHA, and recommending a combined position, we helped them achieve a significant cost saving compared with hiring two separate individuals. The approach also reduced the time and resources required for recruitment, onboarding, and integrating two separate senior hires.
Most importantly, VAHA secured an experienced professional capable of fulfilling the firm’s key compliance, financial crime, governance, and executive responsibilities within a single appointment.
The result demonstrates the value of working with a specialist recruitment partner that can provide more than access to candidates. With over 20 years of experience in the compliance market, Compliance Professionals brings market intelligence, regulatory understanding, salary guidance, and creative solutions to every assignment; helping clients find the right talent while identifying smarter ways to solve their hiring challenges.