Rory Collins - Fractional Chief Compliance, Risk & Governance Executive

EXECUTIVE POSITIONING

I work with founder‑led and scaling payments, fintech and financial services businesses to design and implement the governance, risk and regulatory capabilities they need to grow and internationalise safely.

Board Director and Chief Compliance, Risk & Governance Executive, I focus on board‑level governance, enterprise risk, AML/financial crime, licensing strategy (including EMI and MiCA readiness), go‑to‑market execution and operational delivery – turning complex regulatory and prudential requirements into clear, commercial decisions for founders, CEOs and Boards. I bring a strong technical grounding as a CFA Charterholder and FCCA and have built audit, compliance and risk teams internationally from the ground up

Specialist in:

  • Governance, Risk & Compliance for payments, fintech, EMIs and embedded finance

  • Licensing and regulatory approvals (US MTLs, EU/UK, Canada, APAC), incl. EMI and MiCA readiness

  • Prudential oversight, capital & liquidity, regulatory reporting (CRD/CRR, IFRS)

  • AML/CFT, sanctions, financial crime and KYC

  • Third‑party/vendor risk and operational resilience, incl. DORA

  • P&L ownership, go‑to‑market and operational leadership in regulated businesses

  • Regulatory engagement and supervisory relationship management

  • Board, committee and authorised manager roles (Risk, Audit, Compliance, Governance)

  • Using AI/automation to enhance compliance and risk controls

WHAT I DO FOR FOUNDERS

I help founders build the risk, regulatory and operational foundations for fast, international growth.

I design pragmatic governance, risk and compliance structures; turn EMI/MiCA/DORA and licensing requirements into clear execution plans; tune AML, KYC, financial crime and vendor risk so they support go‑to‑market and partnerships; and get firms ready for authorisations, inspections and banking partner due diligence.

With hands‑on MD experience (full P&L and operational responsibility), I help align product, payments, operations, risk, compliance and local legal teams, and deploy AI‑enabled tools to streamline controls without adding unnecessary complexity. I have repeatedly built and led audit, compliance and risk functions from scratch in new markets and scaling organisations.

CURRENT & RECENT ENGAGEMENTS

  • CCO for a multi‑state capital and payments fintech, owning enterprise risk, governance, licensing and regulatory interface in the US and Europe.

  • Owned regulatory assurance and engagement for a high‑growth SaaS/payments group, building regulator‑ and bank‑ready AML, vendor, DORA, PSD2, GDPR and resilience frameworks.

  • GM/MD for an EU Fiscal Representation and cross‑border VAT platform, with full P&L and responsibility for payments, risk, compliance and local legal teams, enabling compliant international go‑to‑market.

  • Current board roles include Chair, Non‑Executive Director and authorised manager positions across multiple entities.

Available for:

  • Non‑Executive Director roles (Risk, Audit, Compliance, Governance)

  • Chair / member of Board Risk, Audit or Compliance Committees

  • Fractional CCO, CRO, MD or Head of Regulatory/Licensing (incl. EMI & MiCA readiness)

  • Advisory mandates on licensing, regulatory strategy, DORA, MiCA, EMI authorisations, go‑to‑market and international expansion

  • Independent review and design of governance, risk, AML/CFT and vendor risk frameworks

  • Regulatory engagement support (authorisations, inspections, remediation)

Work With Us