Sturgeon Ventures was proud to be among the first firms to sign the Women in Finance Charter when it was launched in 2016. From the outset, founder and CEO Seonaid Mackenzie endorsed the Charter’s central aim of improving the gender balance of senior leadership across UK financial services.
As Dame Debbie Crosbie, CEO of Nationwide, takes over from Dame Amanda Blanc of Aviva as the New Women in Finance Champion, Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, has thanked firms for their progress to date. In a letter to Accountable Executives, she noted that since the Charter’s inception progress has been steady but, at an average increase of around 1per cent a year, the sector will not achieve parity for another two decades. In 2016 women held 27 per cent of senior roles across signatory firms and, according to the latest Annual Review, that figure rose to 36 per cent in 2024.
Stressing that momentum must increase, she also emphasised the economic case for change, noting that stronger female representation in leadership is directly linked to competitiveness and higher productivity across the UK financial services sector.
As one of London’s leading women in finance, particularly in the field of regulatory incubation and early-stage financial services infrastructure, Seonaid Mackenzie has always championed women in the sector. At Sturgeon Ventures, one of the UK’s most recognised regulatory hosting platforms, she has consistently employed women and instigated flexible home working for her fully remote team.
Leaders like Seonaid represent a different model of City leadership. For Sturgeon Ventures, the Charter has always aligned closely with its broader philosophy of building modern, responsible financial services businesses. Sturgeon believes diversity at leadership level is not simply a social objective but a structural advantage, and being an early signatory to the Charter reflected the firm’s willingness to be publicly accountable for progress.
Why Leaders Like Seonaid Mackenzie Matter
Seonaid Mackenzie is best known in the City for pioneering regulatory incubation in the UK. Through Sturgeon Ventures, she created one of the country’s leading FCA hosting platforms, enabling asset managers and investment firms to launch under a robust compliance framework while maintaining strong governance standards. Seonaid has supported the launch of numerous FCA-regulated firms, helped international asset managers establish a UK presence, built a business model centred on governance and accountability and maintained a public commitment to diversity and inclusion.
1. Pioneer of regulatory incubation
Seonaid was the first in the UK to formalise a regulatory incubation/hosting model that allows emerging investment managers to operate within an established FCA-regulated platform. Sturgeon Ventures incubates several financial services businesses within its framework as well as having pioneered the appointed representative regime into the wholesale markets for firms covering corporate finance, 3rd party asset raising for funds, advising offshore funds and clients that are qualified as Professional Clients. This system lowered barriers to entry for start-ups while maintaining strong governance and compliance standards. Sturgeon Ventures also operates Unregulated Collective Investment Schemes and leads a service in the United Kingdom for UK corporates to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions as outlined by the UK Government.
2. Champion of responsible growth
Her work sits at the intersection of innovation and regulation, helping founders launch responsibly rather than treating compliance as an afterthought. This positioning has made Sturgeon Ventures a trusted partner for international managers entering the UK market.
3. Recognised industry voice
She is frequently invited to speak at London finance and fintech events, particularly on:
- FCA regulation and supervisory expectations
- Fund structuring and UK market entry
- Governance for scaling financial firms
- The role of infrastructure in supporting innovation
4. Advocate for female founders in finance
In an industry historically dominated by male leadership, Seonaid has become a visible example of female entrepreneurship. Her leadership combines technical regulatory knowledge with commercial strategy, a relatively rare mix.
“As Sturgeon Ventures was an early adopter of the charter, it’s exciting to see financial services finally stepping up to the plate,” says Seonaid. “It’s about so much more than just promoting one woman a year. The rise of mentoring, for instance, is in its infancy. Radical change won’t happen in my working life, but I have high hopes that one day the financial services industry will have an equal split of both men and women across the sector.”
