Rachel Lacey: Financial journalist with over 20 years of experience, smiling in a professional setting. She has shoulder-length brown hair and is dressed in a smart, professional outfit, providing a friendly and knowledgeable presence.

Nick McDonald

Director and founder of The Compliance Guys, an FCA compliance consultancy serving financial services firms across the UK. Nick established the business to provide accessible, people-first compliance support that helps businesses navigate regulation without the overwhelm typically associated with FCA requirements. With a background spanning consumer credit, claims management, mortgage advisory, and appointed representative networks, Nick understands the practical realities of running a regulated business. This real-world perspective informs his approach to compliance, ensuring advice is not just technically correct but genuinely workable within day-to-day operations. Nick holds qualifications in financial services regulation and maintains continuous professional development to stay current with evolving FCA requirements and industry best practices.

Expertise

FCA Authorisation

Nick provides end-to-end support for firms seeking FCA authorisation, transforming what can be a daunting process into a manageable, structured journey. He ensures applications are comprehensive, compliant, and positioned for approval whilst helping firms understand exactly what's required at each stage.

Fact-Checking & Content Compliance

Nick provides independent fact-checking services for financial content, ensuring accuracy, regulatory compliance, and alignment with current FCA standards. He reviews content across mortgages, consumer credit, claims management, and financial services to verify that information is not only factually correct but also meets regulatory requirements and consumer duty obligations.

Professional Background

Nick McDonald brings over two decades of financial services compliance expertise to his role as Director of The Compliance Guys. With extensive experience navigating FCA regulations across multiple sectors, Nick has built a reputation for making complex compliance requirements accessible and actionable for businesses of all sizes. As a trusted UK compliance advisor, Nick specialises in helping firms achieve and maintain FCA authorisation whilst building sustainable compliance frameworks that protect businesses and their customers. His approach cuts through regulatory jargon to deliver practical, straight-talking guidance that business owners and managers can actually use.