Seonaid Mackenzie
Seonaid Mackenzie founded Sturgeon Ventures – the pioneering Regulatory Incubator since 1998
Seonaid Mackenzie has had a 40-year career in the City, having been a stockbroker, fund manager, an operator of UK funds, a fund raiser for private companies and funds, while sitting as a non-exec in financial services or SMEs. Seonaid founded Sturgeon Ventures LLP as a single-family office in 1998 which invested in public and private companies. The principal of that office died in 2004, leaving behind a trust fund for a child. Those funds today are passively managed and so Sturgeon took on a new active business line and became the pioneer of, and coined the phrase of, Regulatory Incubation for financial services. This started in 2001 at first as the trading name of Seonaid as a sole trader initially incubating people with operating companies followed by the first wholesale appointed representative firm in 2005, and partnered some investment management firms creating the wholesale fund management hosting. Seonaid incorporated as Sturgeon Ventures LLP in 2006 and is now more commonly known by some as a Regulatory Umbrella Service or Regulatory Hosting Platform.
Sturgeon Compliance Services Limited was founded in April 2011 as a sister company offering compliance services to spin outs of Sturgeon Ventures LLP, this rebranded in 2023 to The Sturgeon Group Limited with a trading name of Sturgeon Compliance Services, predominantly servicing Corporate Finance firms and Mifid Investment Managers and 3rd Party Placement Agents.
In 2013, Sturgeon Ventures became an Investment Advisor with the SEC, and in 2014 an Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) and Operator of Collective Investment Schemes and AIFM Solutions. Sturgeon Ventures is also a member of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) and Seonaid is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Corporate Finance Faculty. The firm has incubated over 150 start-ups since this business model began. The firms include fund managers with various strategies open and closed ended and single managed accounts, third party fund raisers, corporate finance firms and family offices, amongst others.
Sturgeon’s team offer regulatory and risk services within their incubation model together with start-up mentoring, a virtual Chief Operating service for fund launches, and often assist overseas, especially US firms starting in London.
Sturgeon with Seonaid leading Business Development, work with leading law firms, accountancy firms, and most well-known compliance firms. Although jurisdiction neutral,.
Seonaid was on the Strategic Advisory Board of Kleinwort Benson for 2 years.
To read more on the awards Sturgeon Ventures LLP has received, please visit our Awards Page.
Over the years Seonaid has won many awards including being:
- Awarded FM. M&A Awards 2022, Start Up Advisor of the Year
- Awarded Finance Monthly M&A Awards 2020, Compliance Consulting Advisor of the year, UK
- Awarded Finance Monthly M&A Awards 2019, Advice on Start Up Issues Adviser of the year
- Awarded M&A Awards 2018 – Compliance Consulting: Advice on Start-up Issues – Adviser of the Year UK
- Award ACQ Awards 2017 – UK Game Changer of the Year – Seonaid Mackenzie.
- Voted by Brummell as one of the top 30 most inspirational female entrepreneurs in financial services in the United Kingdom 2014.
Throughout her career, Seonaid has continued to act as either a Trustee, Menor or Ambassador for charities and entrepreneurial businesses. More recently, mentoring and assisting in putting a Non-Regulated Single-Family Office investment structure and team in place. Once launched, Seonaid will sit on the Investment Committee.
Seonaid is a member of The Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, a Member of the Corporate Finance Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and is a champion with mentorships for the Treasury’s initiative for the Women in Finance Charter.
Outside business interests: Seonaid is a trustee of Crosslight Advice https://www.crosslightadvice.org/ and a mentor to the founder of www.charitablebooking.com
Seonaid has been a guest speaker at several London secondary schools, speaking to 17/18-year-olds about a career in financial services and being a female entrepreneur. Seonaid focuses on issues such as her predominantly female workforce and working mothers having benefitted from flexible hours for the past 20 years. Seonaid has two university aged children and a cocker spaniel.
Visit Seonaid’s: LinkedIn profile.
Email: sm@sturgeonventures.com
