At first sight, a firm that recruits compliance officers, MLROs and chief executives for FCA-regulated businesses has little to do with forests. SMF Capital's work is about people and accountability: helping banks, insurers, wealth managers and fintechs appoint the Senior Managers who are personally responsible for how those firms behave. Yet we plant trees, and we publish the results on our Tree-Nation profile for anyone to see.

This post explains why, and why we think more small professional firms should do the same.

Accountability Doesn't Stop at the Office Door

The regime we work in every day, the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, is built on a simple idea: the people who run a business should be accountable for its effect on others. A compliance officer answers for whether customers are treated fairly. A chief executive answers for the culture of the firm. That principle applies just as well to a business's wider footprint.

Every business has an environmental impact, even a small, mostly office-based one. Travel to meet clients and candidates, the energy behind our technology, the printing and the post. None of it is dramatic, but all of it is real. Planting trees doesn't cancel that impact, and we don't claim it does. It is one practical way to put something back, alongside reducing what we use in the first place.

Why Tree-Nation

We chose Tree-Nation because it makes tree planting transparent. Rather than a vague promise, each tree is linked to a specific reforestation project, and the projects themselves are described in detail: where they are, what species are planted and who benefits. Anyone can visit a company's profile and see exactly what it has contributed.

That transparency matters to us. In a profession built on regulatory references, fit and proper assessments and evidence, we prefer commitments that can be checked.

Tree-Nation's projects also do more than absorb carbon. Well-run reforestation:

• restores damaged and degraded land;
• protects biodiversity and wildlife habitats;
• helps prevent soil erosion and protects water sources; and
• provides work and income for the local communities who plant and care for the trees.

That last point resonates with what we do. Our business is about finding the right people for important roles. Many tree-planting projects are about giving people meaningful work in their own communities.

Part of a Wider Commitment

Tree planting is one part of how SMF Capital and our sister businesses in The Capital Recruitment Group try to run a responsible business.

CommitmentWhat it involves
Tree-NationPlanting trees through verified reforestation projects, with results published on our profile
Good Business CharterAccreditation recognising responsible practices towards employees, customers, suppliers and the environment
Good Causes FundSupporting causes including Beam, which helps people facing homelessness into work and housing, and an orphanage caring for children affected by the war in Ukraine

You can see SMF Capital's accreditation in the Good Business Charter directory.

Why Small Professional Firms Should Take Part

Large companies have sustainability teams and detailed reporting. Most small firms don't, and it's easy to assume that environmental commitments are for bigger businesses. We think that's a mistake, for three reasons.

First, it's affordable and simple. Platforms like Tree-Nation let a small firm plant trees in proportion to its size, without a large budget or specialist staff.

Second, clients and candidates notice. Senior professionals increasingly ask about a firm's values before they work with it, and regulated firms increasingly ask the same of their suppliers. A visible, verifiable commitment answers that question better than a statement on a website.

Third, it's the right thing to do. Every firm, however small, has a footprint. Doing something about it is part of running a business well.

How We Approach It

We try to keep our approach honest and practical:

• we reduce our impact first, through remote meetings where they work just as well, digital rather than printed documents, and sensible travel;
• we plant trees through verified projects, and publish what we've planted;
• we don't describe ourselves as carbon neutral or make claims we can't support; and
• we keep our commitment alongside our wider support for people and communities.

It isn't a grand programme. It is a steady, visible contribution that grows as the business grows.

See Our Forest

Our SMF Capital Tree-Nation profile shows the trees we've planted and the projects they support. If you run a small firm and have been thinking about doing something similar, it's a good place to see how simple it can be.

And if you need a Senior Manager for a regulated business, you can find out more about how we work on the SMF Capital about page.

About the author: Adrian Lawrence FCA is the founder of SMF Capital, which recruits Senior Managers for FCA and PRA-regulated firms. He is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the ICAEW, a former listed-company Finance Director, and founder of FD Capital and The Capital Recruitment Group.