HK Highlights 1 - Digital Magazine Version - Flipbook - Page 4
HALSEYKEETCH.COM
An Owl’s
Eye View
By Caroline and Alex Keetch
2023 was quite a year.
Whilst 2024 is already gathering pace, in line with the now-customary rapidity of
life in the 21st century, it feels appropriate to to re昀氀ect in this 昀椀rst edition of our
new magazine on the year gone by, which was an important one for our 昀椀rm.
For a total of 35 years (and counting!),
and through a series of iterations, our
family business has had a home in the
City of London, specialising in retained
executive and board-level search across
昀椀nancial services. Over the course of
three-and-a-half decades in the industry,
we have placed thousands of established
and emerging leaders into our clients’
risk, compliance, 昀椀nancial crime,
audit and CFO functions, and many
independent directors onto their
regulated company boards.
Placing executives and non-executives,
we have enjoyed a unique and privileged
dual vantage point from which to view
and support the evolution of the
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HK HIGHLIGHTS
At Halsey Keetch, we believe that
an effectively regulated, resilient,
trustworthy 昀椀nancial services industry
is one of the fundamental features
of a successful, fair society. Placing
exceptional leaders into 昀椀nancial
institutions whose job it is to set the
right ‘tone from the top’ has always
been our mission and will remain so.
years leading up to 2023, particularly
in contrast to the decade of growth and
empowerment of risk, compliance and
audit functions following the events of
2008. Multiple possible explanations for
this are on display: regulatory fatigue (on
the part of both regulated and regulatory
organisations); the distressing and and
distracting effect of the Covid-19 pandemic
and wars in Europe and the Middle East;
the politicisation of the ESG and DEI
agendas, and the general swing of the
regulatory ‘pendulum’ away from risk
aversion and towards growth-at-any-cost.
However, attention paid to GRC in
昀椀nancial services appeared to have
dwindled somewhat in the couple of
Exemplifying this trend, the low interest
rate-driven bubble in venture capital
which expanded in 2020 and 2021
governance, regulatory and controls
disciplines (GRC), especially in the
昀椀fteen years since the Global Financial
Crisis in 2008.