Chris Golland

SMF 18 & Head of CASS at Aviva

Speaker

Chris is based in Scotland where he obtained his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the University of Edinburgh. With over three decades of experience, he has forged a diverse career spanning accounting, asset management consultancy, insurance, investment, banking, and custody, across the retail and institutional financial service sectors globally, including the US, UK, Europe, and Asia. Throughout his professional journey, Chris has held pivotal roles in renowned organizations such as Aviva, Aegon Asset Management, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Franklin Templeton LLC, Grant Thornton, HSBC, Scottish Investment Trust, Standard Life, and Scottish Provident. For the past 14 years, he has dedicated his expertise to navigating CASS regulations in the UK, emerging as a prominent industry figure. Chris played a foundational role as the inaugural chair of TISA’s CASS Committee and has been a sought-after speaker at numerous industry forums. For the last 9 years Chris has served as the Head of CASS at Aviva where he holds the Senior Manager Function (SMF) - under the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) - for three investment platform firms, including one categorized as CASS Large and two as CASS Medium. His oversight responsibilities also include five other regulated entities across Aviva’s insurance business for which he holds CASS Certified status under SMCR. Chris possesses extensive experience in managing CASS compliance which includes supporting firms through skilled persons reviews and an FCA enforcement process.