The firm

A specialist compliance consultancy for FCA-regulated firms

Bishopsgate Vector supports regulated financial services businesses with compliance advisory, monitoring and governance implementation — structured, practical, and designed to produce outputs that boards and senior management can use and evidence.

Our proposition

Experienced compliance, without the layers

Bishopsgate Vector was established to give FCA-regulated firms direct access to experienced compliance judgement, practical implementation support and clear regulatory analysis — without the cost, layering or generic templates of a larger consultancy.

Bishopsgate Vector is a specialist consultancy, focused on regulated financial services and built around experienced delivery standards. Many regulated firms do not need — or are not yet ready for — a full-time compliance hire; what they need is experienced capability they can rely on, structured around their business model and the way they are supervised. That is what the firm provides.

The firm is specialist, experienced-led and scalable by design. It combines experienced delivery with a flexible operating model, enabling clients to access compliance support while scaling the level of resource to the complexity, urgency and scope of the engagement. Where a matter requires additional specialist input, the work is structured around appropriate expertise, clear scope, defined responsibilities and oversight.

Our approach

How Bishopsgate Vector operates

A consistent operating model across every engagement, whatever its size.

Direct, experienced delivery

Clients work directly with the adviser responsible for the engagement — experienced judgement applied directly, without unnecessary consultancy layers.

Diagnosis before documentation

The firm identifies the regulatory issue, business context, governance owner and evidence gap before producing policies, reports or remediation plans.

Practical, usable outputs

Monitoring reports, board papers, policies, action logs, regulatory correspondence drafts, governance packs and implementation plans — not template dumps.

Proportionate scope

Work is scoped to a firm’s size, business model and regulatory risk, with clear prioritisation and action ownership.

Evidence-led

Engagements are structured so senior management can evidence oversight, challenge, decision-making and remediation.

Flexible engagement

Retained, project, fractional or targeted-review structures — matched to how a firm needs to buy experienced compliance capability.

Regulatory focus

Where the firm concentrates

Investment management is the core focus — the environment where the founder’s experience is deepest and most directly relevant.

Core focus

  • FCA-regulated investment managers
  • AIFMs, hedge funds and alternative investment firms
  • MiFID investment firms and asset management groups

Selective support, where within agreed scope

  • Wealth management and advisory businesses
  • Brokerage and corporate finance firms
  • Appointed representative networks
  • Cryptoasset or digital asset firms

Governance & evidence

Built for oversight that stands up

Regulated firms are increasingly judged on whether they can evidence oversight, not just assert it. The firm’s work is designed around that reality.

  • Documentation suitable as governance and board evidence
  • Responsibility mapping and SM&CR records
  • Monitoring findings linked to clear remediation and tracking
  • Committee and board reporting that demonstrates challenge
  • An audit trail of decisions, rationale and regulatory awareness

Client situations we support

When firms typically engage the firm

CEO or founder holding SMF16/SMF17

Executives carrying compliance responsibility who need experienced capacity and challenge around them.

FinTech or startup building a framework

A regulated-market entrant putting a credible compliance framework and governance in place.

Between compliance hires

Interim cover and continuity while a firm recruits or restructures its compliance function.

Growth & new permissions

Scaling the compliance framework, or seeking authorisation or a variation of permission.

Additional compliance capacity

Experienced bandwidth alongside an in-house team facing a heavy agenda.

Preparing for the FCA

Readiness for applications, supervisory engagement, thematic reviews or information requests.

Monitoring & assurance

Independent compliance monitoring, health checks and FCA supervisory readiness reviews.

Remediation & transition

Structured response where a gap, finding, change or leadership transition requires focused, experienced attention.

Founder

Experienced expertise behind the firm

Bishopsgate Vector is led by Jarek Rys, whose experience underpins the firm’s proposition and standards.

Jarek Rys, founder of Bishopsgate Vector
Experience
25 years’ experience in compliance, legal-regulatory and risk
Senior functions
Held SMF16 (Compliance Oversight) and SMF17 (MLRO)
Focus
Asset & wealth management, hedge funds & AIFMs, MiFID firms, brokerage

Jarek Rys is a senior legal and compliance practitioner with 25 years’ experience establishing and leading compliance functions across FCA-regulated asset management, wealth management, hedge fund AIFMs, MiFID firms, brokerage and financial advisory businesses. He has held SMF16 (Compliance Oversight) and SMF17 (MLRO) and has advised boards and executive committees across the spectrum of UK and EU regulation.

His experience spans the FCA Handbook (COBS, SYSC, MAR, COLL), SM&CR, the Consumer Duty, MiFID II, IFPR, UCITS and AIFMD; compliance frameworks for diverse fund structures; financial crime prevention (AML/CTF, sanctions, PEP screening and enhanced due diligence); and enterprise risk including ICARA, conduct, market abuse and operational risk.

Selected experience

  • Global Chief Compliance Officer — international hedge fund managerDuring acquisition-related restructuring. Established a global compliance function from inception across a multi-jurisdiction hedge fund structure (UK, Hong Kong, BVI and Dubai), designing the governance framework, policies and monitoring infrastructure and advising the board on cross-border regulatory risk.
  • Head of Legal & Compliance, MLRO (SMF16 / SMF17) — Sanlam Investments UK2017–2026. Led Compliance, Legal and Risk across three FCA-regulated entities spanning buy-side investment and wealth management, sell-side brokerage (including CASS oversight) and a financial adviser network. Served as MLRO and Data Protection Officer; implemented MiFID II, IFPR, SM&CR and the Consumer Duty; oversaw monitoring, market-abuse surveillance, best execution and investment-mandate controls.
  • Compliance & Financial Crime Manager — Liontrust Asset Management2011–2017. Rebuilt and modernised the UK compliance function, designed a risk-based compliance monitoring programme, and led AML/CTF, sanctions and market-abuse surveillance frameworks, acting as primary liaison with the FCA and overseas regulators.
  • Earlier roles — HSBC Securities Services and fund services (Dublin)2005–2011. Foundational experience in AML risk assessment, client due diligence and onboarding for institutional clients across new business, restructures and liquidations.

Education & credentials

  • Master of Laws (M.A. in Law), UAM School of Law, Poznań
  • Diploma in Compliance — International Compliance Association & University of Manchester Business School
  • Professional Certificate in Compliance — ACOI & University College Dublin
  • Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
  • Specialist Certificate in Money Laundering Risk in Capital Markets — ICA & University of Manchester
  • Level 5 Award in Leadership & Management — Institute of Leadership & Management

A fuller professional history is available on LinkedIn and on request.

Experience trusted in regulated environments

Credibility built inside regulated firms

The firm’s experience has been gained inside FCA-regulated investment management environments — not only as an external adviser — including firms managing significant institutional assets and operating across complex, multi-jurisdiction governance structures.

This is, we think, the most meaningful form of credibility: compliance responsibility carried within regulated businesses, through real supervisory engagement, regulatory change and scrutiny.

Next step

Arrange an introductory discussion

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Regulatory status. Bishopsgate Vector is a compliance consultancy. It is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not carry out regulated activities, provide investment advice, manage or arrange investments or hold client money. Client firms remain responsible for their own regulatory obligations.

Legal services. Bishopsgate Vector is not a law firm and does not provide reserved legal activities. Regulatory and compliance legal analysis may be provided only within agreed scope. Where formal UK legal advice is required, clients should instruct appropriately qualified legal counsel. References to the founder’s “legal-regulatory” experience describe a background in law and regulation and do not constitute the provision of reserved legal services or imply qualification as a solicitor or barrister in England & Wales.