Who is GRAYFIELDS Executive Partnerships?

GRAYFIELDS are boutique search and selection experts across governance, risk and compliance, led by Managing Director Chris Fields, who has worked the risk and regulatory market since 2012. They search at (non)executive and senior management level across banking, (un)secured lending, insurance, payments, asset managers, critical third parties, Fintechs and gaming, from start and scale-up through to FTSE-listed firms.

What is the partnership between Initia Risk and GRAYFIELDS?

It is a referral and network partnership, not a delivery one. GRAYFIELDS introduces Initia where a hiring organisation's risk tooling is weak, or where a new risk lead is walking into a gap. Initia introduces GRAYFIELDS where a client needs a permanent senior risk, compliance or governance appointment.

Which roles does GRAYFIELDS typically search?

Risk, Compliance and Financial leaders, plus (non)executive and senior management appointments across risk management, operational resilience, compliance, financial crime and data protection. Where a role carries regulatory accountability, such as SMF, certified or MRT, Non-Executive Advisor Serena Joseph (an approved SMF 9-14 holder) provides independent SM&CR suitability assessment and reporting on the interview panel.

Initia Risk Partners with GRAYFIELDS

We're pleased to announce a partnership with GRAYFIELDS Executive Partnerships, the boutique search firm that has been placing senior risk, compliance and governance leaders since 2012.

In short

Firms hire a Head of Risk and then discover the tooling is still spreadsheets. That is the moment both of us are useful. GRAYFIELDS finds the people. Initia gives them the platform.

GRAYFIELDS - exclusive search for (non)executive and senior GRC appointments.
Initia - the risk and compliance platform the new hire can actually run.
The model - referral both ways, not a delivery or reseller arrangement.

This is a referral and network partnership. You can see the public partner profile on our GRAYFIELDS partner page.

Who GRAYFIELDS Is

GRAYFIELDS are boutique search and selection experts across Governance, Risk and Compliance. Managing Director Chris Fields has worked the risk and regulatory market since 2012. The firm covers risk management, operational resilience, compliance, financial crime and data protection, from start and scale-up through to FTSE-listed firms, with unique and evolving market maps behind every search.

Since 2012, Chris has introduced Risk, Compliance and Financial leaders across banking, (un)secured lending, insurance, payments, asset managers, critical third parties, Fintechs and gaming. From an SM&CR perspective, the interview panel is strengthened by Non-Executive Advisor Serena Joseph, an approved SMF holder (SMF 9-14) providing independent SM&CR suitability assessments and reporting.

Chris is also publishing on how the CRO role is changing. Start with Chief Risk Officer: 2030 on the GRAYFIELDS insights page.

Why This Partnership

A senior risk hire walking into Excel, inbox trails and a register nobody trusts is a familiar failure mode. The appointment was the right one. The operating environment was not. That is expensive for the firm and unfair on the person who just took the job.

GRAYFIELDS already sees that gap when it maps a risk function. Initia already sees the other side: firms that need a Head of Risk, a CRO or a compliance lead because the work has outgrown the people and the tooling at the same time. Introducing each other is the obvious move.

The split is deliberate. GRAYFIELDS does not implement software. Initia does not run executive search. Each firm does the job it is actually good at, and refers when the other half of the work shows up. See what makes a great compliance hire and how to create real risk ownership.

How to Work with Either Firm

If you are hiring a senior risk, compliance or governance leader, start with grayfields.co. If the person you are hiring, or the function you already have, still runs on spreadsheets, book a conversation with Initia or read the partner profile at Initia Risk partners.

Frequently asked questions

Who is GRAYFIELDS Executive Partnerships?: GRAYFIELDS are boutique search and selection experts across governance, risk and compliance, led by Managing Director Chris Fields, who has worked the risk and regulatory market since 2012. They search at (non)executive and senior management level across banking, (un)secured lending, insurance, payments, asset managers, critical third parties, Fintechs and gaming, from start and scale-up through to FTSE-listed firms.
What is the partnership between Initia Risk and GRAYFIELDS?: It is a referral and network partnership, not a delivery one. GRAYFIELDS introduces Initia where a hiring organisation's risk tooling is weak, or where a new risk lead is walking into a gap. Initia introduces GRAYFIELDS where a client needs a permanent senior risk, compliance or governance appointment.
Which roles does GRAYFIELDS typically search?: Risk, Compliance and Financial leaders, plus (non)executive and senior management appointments across risk management, operational resilience, compliance, financial crime and data protection. Where a role carries regulatory accountability, such as SMF, certified or MRT, Non-Executive Advisor Serena Joseph (an approved SMF 9-14 holder) provides independent SM&CR suitability assessment and reporting on the interview panel.

Further reading: what makes a great compliance hire, how to create real risk ownership, and the Initia Risk partner directory.

Initia Risk Partners with GRAYFIELDS Executive Partnerships