Hello, I'm Sue Mac Nicol
I'm a senior compliance and regulatory professional with over 20 years in financial services, most recently in payments and FinTech. I set up All Out Consulting to give firms the kind of practical, senior support I'd have wanted myself.
Compliance that works for the business
I've spent my career inside regulated firms: building frameworks, running them day to day, answering to boards and auditors, and making the calls that come with Deputy MLRO responsibility. That matters, because advice that looks good on paper but can't be run by a busy team isn't really advice.
My background covers FCA-regulated payments and e-money firms with UK and EEA (Netherlands) entities, banking, asset finance, and insurance and mortgage intermediation. Before compliance I led operations and customer service teams, which is why I care as much about how a control works on the ground as about what the rulebook says.
I also use AI tools, principally Claude, day to day, and built my own regulatory tracking system, Horizon Scanning, so that clients get broad, fast coverage without losing expert judgement.
Nominated, Women in Payments Awards 2026Unsung Heroine category
"Regulation only works when it works for the business too. My job is to turn complex requirements into controls people can actually run, and evidence that proves they do."
What I'm known for
- Leading Consumer Duty implementation end to end, embedding outcome governance into reporting and everyday decisions
- Designing a compliance monitoring programme across UK and Netherlands entities, supporting audits with minimal findings
- Negotiating proportionate controls that satisfied a bank partner's higher standards without weighing down a lower-risk business
- Establishing an enterprise risk framework and risk registers, with reporting to senior leadership
- Owning firm-wide financial crime risk assessments, with board-level reporting
- Overseeing 160 self-employed insurance advisers: recruitment, induction, competence assessment, file checks and call listening
- Training everyone from operational teams to senior leadership
Career highlights
Roles are described by type of firm rather than by name.
- 2022 – present
Senior Compliance Analyst, payments and FinTech
UK and Netherlands payments firm: Consumer Duty implementation, compliance monitoring across both entities, enterprise risk framework, horizon scanning and financial crime QA.
- 2019 – 2021
Compliance and Risk Consultant
FCA-regulated insurance intermediary: compliance frameworks and governance, AML/KYC controls, a new SM&CR framework, risk registers and regulatory submissions.
- 2014 – 2021
Head of Group Compliance and Deputy MLRO
Insurance and mortgage intermediary group: group compliance and conduct risk frameworks, FCA permissions and regulatory relationships, appointed representative oversight, supplier reviews, and recruitment, training, competence and file checking for 160 self-employed advisers.
- 2013 – 2014
Regulatory Specialist
UK bank: financial promotions approval, KYC/KYB due diligence, monitoring and regulatory change.
- 2012 – 2013
Regulatory Compliance Manager
Payments technology business: AML and compliance frameworks, reviews, risk assessments and training.
- 2007 – 2012
Operations Director, UK Compliance Manager and Deputy MLRO
Bank-owned vehicle finance joint venture: AML/KYC frameworks, transaction controls, regulatory reporting and multi-site operations.
- 2001 – 2007
Operations and customer service leadership
Manufacturing, automotive and fleet businesses, including Six Sigma improvement projects.
Credentials
ICA Certificate in Anti-Money Laundering
International Compliance Association.
Six Sigma Green Belt
Process improvement and data-led problem solving.
Project management and leadership
Project Management degree, Management Development Diploma and corporate leadership programmes.
Let's talk about your firm
Whatever stage you're at, I'm happy to have an initial conversation about where you are and where you need to be.