Rebecca Thorpe is Bovill Newgate’s Global Head of Regulatory Consulting, responsible for the continuing success of the business and its future growth.

Rebecca has been helping financial services firms as a regulatory consultant for over 20 years. An expert in UK and Asia regulation, she has led major projects with international asset managers, wealth managers, banks and payment services providers. Her subject expertise embraces governance, client money, financial crime, ESG, and conduct of business requirements.

She has also spent time on secondment as Head of Compliance and MLRO, acted as a Skilled Person on FCA section 166 work, and overseen delivery of licensing and ongoing compliance support services for private equity, real estate, hedge, and other alternative funds and brokers.

Before stepping into her current role, Rebecca was CEO at Bovill, overseeing the delivery of services to clients in the UK, Americas, Hong Kong, and Singapore while sitting on the International Board and the Executive Committee.

Tell us about yourself

I am currently global head of regulatory consulting at Bovill Newgate. I moved into the regulatory consulting world when I took a job at Deloitte in 2000. It was a time of new beginnings, not just a new millennium but a new regulator (FSA) was forming. I moved to London for the job, thought I had “made it” and was young and full of boundless energy to take on the world. I’ve stayed in this area my whole career and remain determined to help build a brilliant global regulatory consulting firm.

I’ve stayed in this area my whole career and remain determined to help build a brilliant global regulatory consulting firm.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Your career is more like sailing than being on a ferry. You need to set your direction and be prepared to tack and gybe when the wind is against you, or it moves direction. I learned to sail late in life as an adult and learning a new life skill gave me a lot of confidence. It also let me discover how much I love being out at sea on the open water.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

When I was offered the position of CEO in my previous job, which was an exciting opportunity and also involved relocating the family for the third time (from Asia to the UK). It was a great challenge and an honour in equal measure to be trusted enough by the founder and Board to take the role and steer the company and all of our people through an important corporate phase. We sold the company in February 2024 to the Ocorian Group and are now in an exciting new chapter of our growth story.

Tell us a “compliance Christmas cracker”!

Q: How many regulatory consultants does it take to change a light bulb?

A: What’s your budget?

[On digital assets] The regulators need to speed up the pace a bit to harmonise rules and keep up with this exciting (truly global) sector.

What “gift” would you like to find from the regulator under your Christmas tree?

Some clarity for the digital assets industry would be good. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great time for us consultants because lots of firms need help navigating the uncertainty. But there’s a lot to keep on top of – fast-changing regimes in Asia and MICA in Europe, trying to second-guess the Trump administration in the US, and the FCA has told us it is issuing CPs next year, but we haven’t seen any detail yet. The regulators need to speed up the pace a bit to harmonise rules and keep up with this exciting (truly global) sector.

What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Definitely to read more. The sheer volume of content issued by the regulators in London compared to Asia is immense. I think all our clients probably have a similar resolution!

The problems we all face are not unique, and there is always help available if you know where to look.

Can you recommend a good book?

Smart Collaboration by Heidi Gardner. She is a Harvard lecturer and signed my copy while I was there on a week-long residential course, so the book is a nice reminder of another career highlight. The book is very practical and is all about solving the common problem consulting firms have of trying to break down silos. It is a book I go back to as a helpful reminder that the problems we all face are not unique, and there is always help available if you know where to look.