In this final episode of series one, host Lucinda Carney reflects on and wraps up the first season of the Compliance Culture Podcast, drawing together the key insights from conversations with regulatory leaders, compliance specialists and culture experts. Lucinda revisits the major themes explored across the series, from Consumer Duty and complaints handling to governance, data protection, appointed representatives and AI, highlighting what they reveal about moving beyond tick-box compliance. She distils the season into three core themes - leadership, culture, and visibility - and shares practical reflections on how organisations can embed meaningful, measurable compliance culture in everyday practice.

1. Compliance culture is fundamentally about people and behaviour, not policies and checklists, and it is shaped every day by leadership actions and decisions.
2. Consumer Duty and regulatory expectations require continuous improvement, moving firms from having data and frameworks to actively using insights to drive better outcomes.
3. Complaints, data protection and oversight are powerful signals of culture, offering direct insights into how fairness, accountability, and trust show up in practice.
4. Effective governance depends on visibility and narrative, with boards needing clear insight and action-focused reporting rather than excessive or superficial data.
5. Compliance is a shared organisational mindset, extending beyond internal teams to leaders, partners, and third parties, and work best when seen as an enabler of trust rather then a constraint.

Why Actus Oversight?

Stay ahead of FCA Consumer Duty with Actus Oversight. The smart solution for regulated firms. Our platform delivers real-time dashboards, key compliance tracking metrics, and automatic ownership, giving you complete visibility and control with ease.

✅ Simplify Consumer Duty compliance

✅ Ensure accountability with automated ownership

✅ Gain actionable analytics through real-time data

🔍 Learn more about Actus Oversight here: Discover Actus Oversight

Find the perfect solution tailored to for your organisation. Why not take a look at our purpose-built compliance tools specially designed for financial services and get the answers you've been searching for: Click here to Browse

About Actus Software

Actus helps HR and business leaders drive performance and engagement through flexible HR software and expert resources.

🌐 Discover Actus Software: https://actus.co.uk/

Follow Lucinda Carney on LinkedIn for more compliance and leadership insights.

Lucinda Carney is a Chartered Psychologist, CEO of Actus Software, and host of the award-nominated, chart-topping HR Uprising Podcast. With over 20 years’ experience in organisational development and leadership, Lucinda has worked across a wide range of industries helping HR professionals establish behavioural...

Host Lucinda Carney is joined by John Rood, Founder of Perceptual, for a timely discussion on AI governance and compliance and why it is fast becoming a critical part of organisational compliance culture. They explore emerging regulation such as the EU AI Act, the risks of bias and unfair outcomes in high impact areas like HR and finance, and why AI governance must be a shared responsibility across the business, not owned by one function alone. John also shares practical steps organisations can take now, from clear AI use policies and training to proportionate governance frameworks that balance innovation with ethical and regulatory expectations.

• AI governance must be owned across the organisation, not siloed in HR, IT, or compliance, as unmanaged use creates risks around bias, fairness, and accountability.
• Market and customer expectations are driving AI compliance now, even when regulation is still evolving or inconsistently enforced.
• AI that affects real people carries higher risk, particularly in areas like hiring, finance, and education, making ethical oversight and transparency essential.
• Clear AI use policies and baseline AI literacy are essential foundations, helping employees use AI safely and responsibly in everyday work.
• Strong AI governance is a long-term strategic investment, enabling organisations to balance innovation with trust, ethics and regulatory resilience.

Why Actus Oversight?

Stay ahead of FCA Consumer Duty with Actus Oversight. The smart solution for regulated firms. Our platform delivers real-time dashboards, key compliance tracking metrics, and automatic ownership, giving you complete visibility and control with ease.

✅ Simplify Consumer Duty compliance

✅ Ensure accountability with automated ownership

✅ Gain actionable analytics through real-time data

🔍 Learn more about Actus Oversight here: Discover Actus Oversight

Find the perfect solution tailored to for your organisation. Why not take a look at our purpose-built compliance tools specially designed for financial services and get the answers you've been searching for: Click here to Browse

About Actus Software

Actus helps HR and business leaders drive performance and engagement through flexible HR software and expert resources.

🌐 Discover Actus Software: https://actus.co.uk/

Follow Lucinda Carney on LinkedIn for more compliance and leadership insights.

John Rood is an entrepreneur and AI governance expert, and the Founder of Perceptual, where he supports organisations in implementing effective AI governance and compliance frameworks. He specialises in navigating emerging AI regulation, standards and ethical risk, helping legal, compliance and privacy teams respond to both regulatory requirements and growing customer expectations. With a background in scaling and leading high-growth businesses, including as Co-Founder and CEO of Next Step Test Preparation, a national education company, John is recognised for his practical, commercially grounded approach to responsible and compliant use of AI.

John Rood offers a free 90-minute AI literacy certification for leaders, designed to help executives and board members understand the key risks,...

What does a healthy culture look like in practice? In this episode of the Compliance Culture Podcast, Lucinda Carney is joined by Paul Whitehouse of PIW Consulting, who brings over 30 years of experience in UK financial services. Together, they unpack the link between conduct and culture, covering FCA expectations, practical ways to measure culture, the role of data, accountability under SMCR, and why psychological safety and leadership behaviour are critical to driving lasting change.

• Conduct is culture in action, it reflects organisational values through daily behaviours, decisions, and the tone set by leadership.
• The FCA expects firms to evidence cultural health with measurable indicators, linking values and behaviours to regulatory standards.
• Combining qualitative and quantitative data, such as engagement scores and whistleblowing reports, helps identify conduct risks early and accurately.
• Psychological safety enables employees to raise concerns without fear, making it a key marker of cultural maturity and resilience.
• Accountability under SMCR, consistent leadership behaviour, and transparent decision-making underpin sustainable compliance and trust.

Why Actus Oversight?

Stay ahead of FCA Consumer Duty with Actus Oversight. The smart solution for regulated firms. Our platform delivers real-time dashboards, key compliance tracking metrics, and automatic ownership, giving you complete visibility and control with ease.

✅ Simplify Consumer Duty compliance

✅ Ensure accountability with automated ownership

✅ Gain actionable analytics through real-time data

🔍 Learn more about Actus Oversight here: Discover Actus Oversight

Find the perfect solution tailored to for your organisation. Why not take a look at our purpose-built compliance tools specially designed for financial services and get the answers you've been searching for: Click here to Browse

About Actus Software

Actus helps HR and business leaders drive performance and engagement through flexible HR software and expert resources.

🌐 Discover Actus Software: https://actus.co.uk/

Follow Lucinda Carney on LinkedIn for more compliance and leadership insights.

Paul Whitehouse is a Solicitor and Financial Services Regulatory Adviser with over 30 years of experience in UK financial services. As Managing Director of PIW Consulting, he specialises in assessing the suitability and effectiveness of governance, systems, controls, and strategy. Paul is widely recognised for his expertise in business culture and compliance, helping firms translate regulatory expectations into practical, sustainable change. His deep understanding of conduct risk and cultural measurement makes him a trusted voice on how leadership behaviour and accountability shape compliance outcomes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-whitehouse-91628a83/

Create Solutions: https://www.piwconsulting.com/

Lucinda Carney is a Chartered...