What is individual senior-manager accountability (e.g., UK SMCR), and how does it change conduct risk management?

Regimes like the UK Senior Managers & Certification Regime assign named senior individuals personal responsibility for specific areas, documented in statements of responsibilities and a firm-wide responsibilities map. Senior managers owe a 'duty of responsibility' — they can be held personally accountable if a breach occurs in their area and they didn't take reasonable steps to prevent it. The certification regime requires firms to assess and annually certify the fitness of staff who can cause significant harm, and conduct rules apply broadly. It changes conduct-risk management by removing the 'collective decision, no one accountable' defense: it sharpens documentation of who decided what, drives senior engagement in controls, and makes 'reasonable steps' evidence (challenge, MI, escalation) something individuals actively create. It personalizes governance.