Seonaid Mackenzie

Seonaid Mackenzie is the director and founder of Sturgeon Compliance Services, a London-based regulatory consultancy that was named Compliance Consultancy Advisory Firm of the Year in the United Kingdom at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards. The firm is the compliance-focused arm of the wider Sturgeon organisation that Seonaid Mackenzie has led for more than two decades, and it draws directly on that group's long experience of the regulated financial services sector.

Sturgeon Compliance Services helps financial services firms secure and maintain their regulatory standing, advising on direct applications for Financial Conduct Authority authorisation and providing ongoing compliance support. For businesses seeking to become authorised in their own right, the firm guides them through the demands of the application process and the establishment of the systems, controls and documentation that a regulated firm must have in place. It then supports them with the continuing compliance obligations that follow authorisation, from monitoring and reporting to the maintenance of appropriate governance arrangements.

The consultancy draws on the deep regulatory heritage of the Sturgeon group, which Seonaid Mackenzie founded in 1998 and which is widely credited with pioneering the concept of regulatory incubation in the United Kingdom. That experience of building, hosting and supervising regulated arrangements gives the compliance practice an unusually practical understanding of what the regulator expects, and of how emerging and established firms alike can meet those expectations efficiently. The business is notable as a long-standing, entirely female-owned firm and a signatory to the Women in Finance Charter, reflecting a distinctive position within the industry.

Securing FCA authorisation is a significant undertaking, requiring a firm to demonstrate that it has the resources, systems, controls and competent people needed to operate soundly and treat customers fairly. Many start-ups and established managers turn to specialist consultants to navigate this process and to keep pace with their obligations once authorised. As founder and director, Seonaid Mackenzie brings a rare breadth of perspective to that task, having spent her career helping firms move from concept to full authorisation and beyond, and her hands-on involvement means clients benefit from senior-level guidance rooted in real experience.

The 2024 Corporate INTL award recognises this specialist advisory role and the firm's reputation for helping firms navigate the FCA's requirements with confidence. For businesses that need experienced, independent guidance on authorisation and compliance, Sturgeon Compliance Services, under Seonaid Mackenzie's leadership, offers a trusted and well-credentialed source of support, backed by the wider group's pioneering track record in regulatory incubation and hosting.