Sample questions for fitness assessments under the Financial Supervision Act

Factsheet

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Below are some examples of actual fitness assessment interview questions, categorised according to the topics that we consider in assessments.

Published: 10 September 2020

General:

What is your motivation for considering this position?

What will be your strategy for the organisation/what will you focus on?

How will you deal with your role as an employer in your capacity of supervisory board member?

Management, organisation and communication:

What are the most significant internal challenges for the organisation?

What do you believe to be the significance and added value of the key functions under Solvency II?

How does the board perform self-assessments?

The organisation's products, services and markets:

What is your vision on the life insurance market?

Which aspects are important in determining health care contributions?

In the submitted expertise and capabilities matrix, you have been assigned a high score on "financial aspects of the organisation's products and services". Can you tell us a bit more about where you gained this expertise? Can you provide an example of applying this knowledge in practice?

Sound and ethical operational management:

Which financial risks is the bank currently exposed to?

What do you think of the quality of the second and third lines? How did you arrive at this conclusion?

What is the purpose of the capital policy? How was the internal standard determined, on top of the SCR? Which instruments could you deploy with this standard in mind?

Balanced and consistent decision-making:

Can you give an example of a situation where you had to deal with conflicting interests? Which actions did you take? What was the result?

What do you do when you are the only supervisory board member with a different opinion, preventing the board from reaching a unanimous decision? Can you give an example of such a situation in your current position?

Can you think of a possible conflict between the interests of the group and those of a subsidiary?

The team of board members of which the candidate will be part:

What value will you be adding to the team?

What are the strong points of the board as a team? And the weaker points?

By which additional competencies or expertise would the team benefit in your opinion?

Given your specific expertise, which supervisory board members are most likely to offer countervailance?

Competencies:

Can you describe a recent situation where you showed critical and decisive behaviour?

How do you exert influence within the team of board members? Can you give an example?

How do you deal with conflicts of interest?

What are your pitfalls?

How do you, as the chair, ensure that all members deliver an active contribution to meetings. Can you give an example?

How do you combine your different positions?

Could you devote more time to this position, if the circumstances so require? Which position would you give up or reduce in that case?

Propriety:

We found that you failed to disclose a particular piece of your professional history in the Propriety Assessment Form. Why did you omit this?

What exactly happened?

What have you learned?

Fit and proper assessments

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