What enhanced screening covers
- Adverse media — UK and international media archives going back at least a decade, surfaced material reviewed for relevance to the role;
- Directorship and business-association history — current and dissolved companies, related-party patterns, undisclosed interests;
- Litigation history — claimant and defendant, civil and criminal, in jurisdictions where court records are publicly accessible;
- Sanctions, PEP, and watchlist screening — current snapshot plus historic listings;
- Regulatory action — checks against UK regulators (FCA, SRA, GMC, GDC, ICAEW, etc.) and equivalents in jurisdictions relevant to the role;
- Educational and professional credential verification through direct enquiry to issuing institutions.
When employers engage us
- A board, C-suite, or senior regulated appointment is being made;
- An MLRO, head of compliance, or other regulated-role appointment is being considered;
- A candidate has lived or worked across multiple jurisdictions and standard checks return little;
- The role carries access to large sums, sensitive data, or vulnerable people, and the cost of a wrong hire is significant.
For roles that do not carry that level of risk, our guide to pre-employment checks sets out what an employer can verify lawfully without instructing anyone.
How we screen lawfully
The work is conducted lawfully and in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with documented legitimate-interest assessments for each engagement. We rely on candidate consent where the law requires it (educational verification, in particular), and on legitimate interests for public-record and adverse-media work.
Reports are graded — material findings are flagged with a confidence level and the underlying source. We do not bury concerns, and we do not invent them either. Where a finding is ambiguous, we say so. For our full process, see how we work.
Common questions
Does the candidate need to consent?
For some checks, yes. Educational and professional credential verification requires the candidate’s consent because we enquire directly with the issuing institution. Public-record and adverse-media work is carried out under a documented legitimate-interest assessment.Which regulators do you check against?
The UK regulators relevant to the role, such as the FCA, SRA, GMC, GDC and ICAEW, plus their equivalents in any jurisdiction the candidate has lived or worked in.What if a finding is unclear?
We say so. Material findings are flagged with a confidence level and the underlying source. We do not bury concerns and we do not invent them.More general questions about cost, timescales and evidence are answered on our FAQs page.