Financial Conduct Authority fines former Carillion chief executive Richard Howson £237,700 for misleading market statements

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined former Carillion plc chief executive Richard Howson £237,700 for his part in misleading statements issued by the company. The FCA found that, despite being aware of serious financial troubles in Carillion’s UK construction business, he failed to ensure this was reflected in market announcements or to alert the board and audit committee, contributing to poor oversight. The penalty relates to the period from 1 July 2016 to 10 July 2017 and follows Mr Howson withdrawing his challenge to the FCA’s decision. The FCA concluded he acted recklessly and was knowingly concerned in Carillion’s breaches of Article 15 of the Market Abuse Regulation and of the Listing Rules, including Listing Rule 1.3.3R, Listing Principle 1 and Premium Listing Principle 2. The FCA noted that primary responsibility for accurate market disclosure lay with the group finance director, but that Mr Howson played an important role given his responsibilities and construction and contracting expertise; Carillion’s former finance directors Richard Adam and Zafar Khan were fined £232,800 and £138,900, respectively, in January 2026.