Recent research has again shown that an alarmingly high number of directors applying for FSA Approval are withdrawing without receiving the Approval they sought. While no doubt a few of these are genuine withdrawals, e.g. health reasons, most of them will be non-exec directors who have been warned that FSA is going to reject their application.

This is generally an avoidable risk. Given the considerable expense involved in selecting external directors, minimising the risk makes good sense. The FSA is very demanding in what it expects of applicants, in terms of knowledge, personality and attitude. Much of this can be acquired or better presented with suitable preparation. We offer individual coaching for FSA application and interview.

Oliver Lodge

OWL Regulatory Consulting Ltd