Regulatory & Compliance Advisory Search
We place the financial-services regulation, licensing and remediation leaders riding a sustained enforcement-driven hiring wave across Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Dubai and London.
Market overview
Regulatory and compliance advisory is among the most enforcement-sensitive specialisms in risk advisory, and the APAC enforcement environment has rarely been more active. The Monetary Authority of Singapore penalised six banks and three other institutions a total of S$27.45 million over the 2023 money-laundering case and placed each into multi-year remediation [13]; MAS has intensified anti-money-laundering scrutiny of private banking and cross-border wealth flows. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is pursuing parallel AML, transaction-monitoring and conduct priorities, and global enforcement is shifting toward EMEA and APAC, keeping regulated firms in a near-permanent state of remediation [10].
Each enforcement cycle generates a remediation surge. New regulations, sanctions and fines are the proximate drivers of compliance and financial-crime hiring, and across APAC, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan are pushing tougher AML frameworks in line with FATF, with real estate and crypto singled out as high-risk [11]. For accounting firms, that converts directly into multi-year licensing, look-back and remediation mandates that need credentialled leaders to run.
Hiring in this specialism has stayed disciplined but specialist-led. APAC compliance and financial-crime functions are prioritising targeted senior capability rather than broad headcount expansion, which raises the premium on proven leaders who can both win regulated work and manage regulator relationships [11]. Demand concentrates on financial-services regulatory advisory, licensing and authorisation support, and large-scale remediation programme leadership.
These are sensitive, reputation-critical hires, frequently moving with regulator relationships and a live mandate pipeline. CharteredPartners runs them as confidential retained searches, validating the regulatory standing, the remediation delivery track record and the network that make a partner genuinely additive.
What we cover
- Financial services regulation
- Licensing advisory
- Regulatory remediation
Roles we place
Practice Leadership
- Partner, Regulatory Advisory
- Financial Services Regulation Practice Leader
- Director, Compliance Advisory
Licensing & Authorisation
- Director, Licensing & Authorisation
- Regulatory Strategy Senior Manager
- Prudential & Conduct Advisory Lead
Remediation & Financial Crime
- Head of Regulatory Remediation
- AML / Financial Crime Programme Director
- Look-back & Remediation Lead
- Sanctions & SOW/SOF Advisory Manager
Candidate profile
Compliance and financial-crime credentials such as ICA / ACAMS / CAMS, frequently with a legal qualification or CA for regulatory-advisory depth.
Direct experience of MAS and HKMA regimes (and ASIC, DFSA or FCA where relevant) and of large-scale remediation and look-back programmes.
Track record originating licensing, authorisation and remediation mandates within a Big Four, mid-tier or specialist consultancy, with regulator-facing credibility in Singapore and Hong Kong.
APAC market and language coverage (Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Bahasa, Arabic) for cross-border private-banking and wealth corridors.
Seniority
- Senior Manager
- Director / Principal
- Partner
- Practice Leader / Head of Regulatory Advisory
Sectors served
- Banking & private banking
- Asset & wealth management
- Insurance
- Payments & fintech / crypto
- Real estate
- Capital markets
Frequently asked
- What is driving regulatory-advisory hiring in APAC?
- Enforcement. MAS penalised nine institutions a total of S$27.45 million over the 2023 money-laundering case and has intensified anti-money-laundering scrutiny of private banking and cross-border wealth flows, the HKMA is pursuing parallel AML and conduct priorities, and global enforcement is shifting toward EMEA and APAC. Each cycle of fines and new rules triggers a remediation surge, and firms need credentialled leaders to win and run that work.
- Why is this market specialist-led rather than volume hiring?
- APAC compliance and financial-crime functions are deliberately targeting senior specialist capability over broad headcount growth, which concentrates demand and premium on a small pool of proven leaders. That is exactly the kind of scarce, confidential hire retained search is built for.
- Do you cover both licensing advisory and remediation leadership?
- Yes. We place leaders across financial-services regulatory advisory, licensing and authorisation support, and large-scale remediation and look-back programme leadership, including the AML, sanctions and SOW/SOF specialisms that dominate current Singapore and Hong Kong mandates.