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The rebrand from ATEB Compliance to Thistle Initiatives represents a significant milestone, as it enables us to combine our resources, expertise, and capabilities to better serve our clients

By joining forces with Thistle Initiatives, we are confident that we can provide you with an even more comprehensive range of services and solutions, while continuing to deliver the exceptional level of quality and support you have come to expect from us.

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Services: Business as usual

We will continue offering the following services as usual to our clients:

Compliance Support

Compliance Support

Our core and most popular service. We don’t simply report and run, we provide our expert knowledge to support you with implementing and embedding the solutions through a hands-on approach.

Audit & Advisory

Audit & Advisory

An auditing system capable of providing an all-encompassing assessment of your compliance regime, or a detailed and granular subject matter focus, in areas such as Consumer Duty, PROD and SMCR.

File Checking

File Checking

Our team of experts provides detailed file checks across a range of issues from standard advice solutions to complex areas such as defined benefit pension transfers, with comprehensive feedback and trend analysis.

FCA Applications

FCA Applications

If you are applying to the FCA for Part IV permissions or Variations of Permissions, we can help you throughout the journey.

Section 166 and Regulatory Reviews

Section 166 and Regulatory Reviews

Having undertaken numerous S166 and regulatory reviews, we appreciate that empathy and experience is key to unlocking a complex project.

Bespoke Projects

Bespoke Projects

Compliance should be a by-product of a well thought through and controlled business process. We specialise in design, implementation and embedding of bespoke solutions to manage regulatory risk.

Regulatory Visit Preparation

Regulatory Visit Preparation

When the FCA comes knocking, it’s best to be prepared. We can provide a regulatory shoulder to lean on.

Assistance with FCA Returns

Assistance with FCA Returns

Our team of compliance experts is here to support you by drafting your returns, reviewing them, or supporting you with any questions.

Regulatory Updates

Regulatory Updates

We issue regular newsletters and post regular blog content, which keeps you up to date with the complex and ever-changing regulatory landscape.

Training & Competence

Training & Competence

We will implement or assist you with the implementation of a T&C regime that meets the regulator’s expectations.

Supervisory Training

Supervisory Training

We provide both online and workshop based supervisory training courses.

Online Training and Webinars

Online Training and Webinars

We have developed a series of modular and structured online training courses, for example T&C Supervisors training and assessment, and are developing other courses covering advisory skills training.

Report Writing Software

Report Writing Software

Industry leading ATEB Suitability report writing software that can be fully tailored to reflect your style, content, and brand.

What does this mean for our clients?

Becoming Thistle Initiatives will not affect our day-to-day operations or the high level of service you have come to rely upon from our team. Our core values, dedication to client satisfaction, and the quality of our work will remain unchanged.

Please feel free to reach out to your account manager at their usual email address or info@thistleinitiatives.co.uk if you need assistance or have any questions.

Speak to the team

Steve Bailey
Steve Bailey
Director
As a Director at Thistle Initiatives, Steve holds specialist knowledge of the FCA Handbook and has extensive experience, focussing in consultancy and sales management. Steve is well-versed in the pension and investments sector and with his regulatory knowledge has been involved in over 150 regulatory visits, various Section 166 projects and other similar assignments such as the SIPP and NMPI (S55 VVOP) work.
Huw Reynolds
Huw Reynolds
Director
As a Director at Thistle Initiatives, with a strong management consultancy background and extensive industry experience in the retail investments sector, Huw is an advocate of good quality processes; get the process right and the compliance will be a by-product.
Paul Caine
Paul Caine
Associate Director
As Associate Director and a dedicated member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Paul exemplifies professionalism and expertise in the financial services industry. His Section 166 projects showcase a strong dedication to industry integrity and regulatory compliance and whilst specialising in pensions and investments, Paul's extensive regulatory knowledge consistently delivers tangible results to clients.
Michael Senior
Michael Senior
Senior Compliance Consultant
As a Senior Compliance Consultant Mike specialises in the investment, insurance, and consumer credit sectors. He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society holding industry qualifications in pension transfers, discretionary management, long term care, mortgages and equity release. He has been involved in various S166 projects and enjoys the detail especially RegData returns.
John Begg
John Begg
Senior Compliance Consultant
John has extensive financial services experience, focusing on compliance, T&C, advice to retail clients and sales management. He is a Chartered Financial Planner and a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute. John’s current role concentrates on hands-on compliance support, project delivery and Section 166 work.
Richard Foster
Richard Foster
Senior Compliance Consultant

Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the PFS with extensive knowledge of financial services and working with IFAs. With over 20 years compliance experience working for large and small firms, Richard advocates firms embrace change and technology to work smarter, not longer.

Lisa Cross
Lisa Cross
Senior Compliance Consultant
A pragmatic and hands-on Senior Compliance Consultant with a wide range of experience. Lisa builds strong working relationships with our clients.
Paul Jay
Paul Jay
Senior Compliance Consultant
Paul has an extensive financial services background and provides honest, objective and pragmatic support to clients. He is solutions rather than problems driven and his previous adviser, compliance officer and MLRO roles allow him to see things from more than one angle.
Shirley McKenzie
Shirley McKenzie
Compliance Consultant
Shirley has a background in advising and undertaking the compliance role within a firm; she understands what you are aiming to achieve and is well placed to help you get there. Her specialism is setting up compliance frameworks that are manageable to maintain.
Dale Lane
Dale Lane
Client File Auditor
With over 20 years’ experience within the Financial Service industry, Dale’s experience in regulatory requirements when advising on Pensions, Investments, Protection & Mortgage products helps him identify potential risks which helps ensure our clients mitigate any compliance risks and maintain a strong reputation.
Gary Albrighton
Gary Albrighton
Client File Auditor
With 15 years financial services experience, starting under the tight regulation of the banking environment, Gary has accrued a wide skill set in the industry, ranging from Financial Planning, Paraplanning and File Reviewing. Gary has been part of the File Auditing team for the last year and a half.
Rhys Reynolds
Rhys Reynolds
Compliance Adviser
A dedicated and professional compliance individual, with a keen eye for detail, Rhys exemplifies Thistle Initiatives’ approach through in-depth analysis of client files and regulatory documentation, alongside considered, proportionate feedback, allowing firms to comply fully with the rules and guidance while enabling robust and profitable business models.
David Ratcliffe
David Ratcliffe
File Auditor
David has an extensive background, built up over many years, in all areas of financial services including investments and complaints, specialising in pensions compliance. He has worked in both pre and post-sale areas of file reviewing and is adept at producing high quality, accurate feedback to advisers, reducing organisational risk in line with company procedures.
Gary Aspin
Gary Aspin
Senior Compliance Consultant
Gary has a wealth of experience as a compliance and T&C consultant working for firms in the banking & lending, investments, pensions, home finance and insurance sectors. He likes delving into the technical detail and has plenty of experience of implementing robust compliance processes and controls for clients.
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Stay up to date

Our new website is www.thistleinitiatives.co.uk and you can keep up to date with all of our usual regulatory and company updates on our blog page and via LinkedIn.