Our team

Mel has over 25 years' experience in the fund administration industry, specifically including LSE-listed, private equity, property and credit funds.

In addition to being a Director and Founder of the Group, Mel is an Independent Non-Executive Director with a portfolio of companies, having been a director of Guernsey and European companies for more than 15 years. Mel also holds nominated roles for the Group.

Prior to founding Morgan Sharpe in April 2008 (a fund administration company sold to Estera in 2017), Mel was the Company Secretary of Assura Administration, overseeing the administration of listed property funds. From 2017 to 2021, Mel held the roles of Operations Director, Managing Director, and subsequently Non-Executive Director at Ocorian Guernsey (formerly Estera).

During her career to date, Mel has worked at all levels of fund administration, from trainee to Managing Director, has founded, successfully grown and sold her own business, has worked in all sizes of company from 2 to 100 people, has been part of owner-managed and large global operations and has established a varied portfolio of clients as a NED. Alongside administrative, company secretarial, and leadership positions, Mel has held roles as Compliance Officer and MLRO, consistently focusing on corporate governance and risk throughout her career.

Cathy has over 30 years' experience in the banking industry across the UK, Jersey and Guernsey in sales, relationship management, compliance and financial crime roles. She has had responsibility for teams based in Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Luxembourg with significant experience of their AML legislation.

Cathy and Mel founded Advisory Services in late 2021 after working together at a global Fiduciary and Fund Administration firm.

As a Fellow of the ICA (International Compliance Association), Cathy holds all three international diplomas in Compliance, Financial Crime and AML (Anti Money Laundering) and was the first person in the Channel Islands to be awarded the Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Crime Compliance with the ICA in conjunction with Manchester Business School.

A member of the Institute of Directors holding the certificate and diploma in Company Direction and a certified GDPR practitioner through IT Governance, Cathy has held various regulatory roles, including Compliance Officer, MLCO and MLRO and is also an Approved Person (CF11) with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and is on the Committee for the Guernsey Association of Compliance Officers. She continues to provided regulatory roles on a outsourced basis.

A detailed CV is available on request.

Karen is a strategic transformation leader with more than 25 years’ experience across fund administration, business transformation, finance and human resources.

Across her career, she has held senior roles at PwC, Apax Partners and Specsavers, leading tax and fund administration teams, finance transformation programmes and HR initiatives focused on operational efficiency and organisational development.

Since 2021, Karen has also served as an independent non-executive director overseeing private equity and venture capital fund structures in Guernsey.

At Advisory Business Solutions, Karen specialises in leading complex remediation and large-scale operational change projects, with a strong track record of delivering results while bringing teams, senior management and Boards with her. Most recently, she worked with the Board of a global financial services firm to deliver a significant remediation programme and support the establishment of a sustainable KYC function following remediation and business amalgamation.

Karen’s passion is helping companies solve operational challenges and delivering complex projects, and she is known for getting things done.

Karen holds a BSc in Accounting, the Project Management qualification from the Association of Project Management and a diploma in Corporate Governance. She is a Chartered Tax Adviser and has completed an MBA.

Susie has over 25 years’ experience leading operations, governance and transformation across private markets, fund administration and banking in London and Guernsey.

She spent eight years as Executive Director at Partners Group, where she served as local CEO and chaired the Risk and AML Committees. Prior to that, she led large private equity fund administration teams in Guernsey and began her career in London, first as a tax consultant at PwC and then in capital markets finance at Merrill Lynch.

Across her career, she has managed cross-border teams, chaired governance and risk committees, and delivered complex transformation programmes covering people, processes and operating models. She has worked extensively with internal teams and third-party providers to standardise operations, improve controls and drive operational efficiency.

In 2025 Susie co-founded Advisory Business Solutions Limited. Her work focuses on providing interim operational leadership and improving operational efficiency during periods of organisational change, growth and regulatory pressure, helping firms stabilise operations and maintain delivery momentum.

She is known for her pragmatism, calm leadership under pressure and ability to bring structure, and delivery focus to complex situations.

Susie is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, holds a law degree, and is a member of the Guernsey Investment Funds Association Technical Committee.

Dawn is a knowledgeable regulatory risk and compliance consultant with more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including 17 years as a senior supervisor at the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. She specialises in designing and implementing risk and compliance frameworks that help firms navigate complex regulatory environments in a practical and proportionate way.

Across her consulting career, Dawn has held vetted supervised roles for clients, supported firms through regulatory risk mitigation programmes and carried out independent reviews of key governance, risk and compliance processes within regulated businesses.

Dawn brings strong expertise across governance, regulatory risk and compliance oversight, with a focus on developing tailored solutions aligned to each client’s business model and risk profile. She also has a particular interest in ESG and supporting firms in integrating sustainability and governance considerations into their compliance frameworks.

She is known for her collaborative approach, practical mindset and ability to build trusted relationships with clients while delivering clear and effective regulatory solutions.

Dawn holds the Institute of Directors Certificate in Company Direction and has completed the Oxford University Sustainable Business Programme.

Scott has more than 20 years’ experience in fund administration, risk and compliance, specialising in supporting regulated fund administrators, fiduciaries and investment firms in Guernsey. He has held senior positions including MLRO, MLCO and Compliance Officer, bringing deep expertise in AML, sanctions and Guernsey’s regulatory framework.

At Advisory Services, Scott supports clients with regulatory remediation and the development of practical compliance frameworks that support both regulatory obligations and effective day-to-day operations. He has led a range of large-scale projects, including client migrations, and overseen the redrafting of Business Risk Assessments to address evolving regulatory themes, including proliferation financing risks. Most recently, he led the development of a complete compliance function for a new fund administrator.

Scott is known for his pragmatic approach and ability to use his technical knowledge to deliver clear, workable solutions without unnecessary complexity.

He holds the ICA Advanced Certificate in International Regulatory Compliance, ICA Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering and Institute of Directors Certificate in Company Direction.

Maria has over 13 years’ experience in the financial services industry, with a particular focus on private equity and regulated fund structures.

Prior to joining Advisory Services, Maria spent 10 years with a leading fund administrator, where she held a number of senior client-facing and governance roles. During this time, she served as a director on client structures, managed teams responsible for administration, company secretarial and governance services, and later held the role of jurisdictional company secretary.

Maria has extensive experience working with Boards to support strong corporate governance and compliance with local regulatory requirements. At Advisory Services, she has supported fund administrators through company secretarial secondments, governance remediation projects and ongoing day-to-day company secretarial services.

Maria holds a law degree from the University of Exeter and an Advanced Certificate in Corporate Governance.

Sarah has more than 35 years’ experience in financial services across the UK and Guernsey. She began her career with two global accountancy firms, specialising in private client tax services, before moving into client services and compliance management roles within fiduciary and fund businesses.

At Advisory Services, Sarah supports remediation and compliance projects across both fiduciary and fund structures. She has managed teams across Guernsey, the UK and India, delivering key stages of large-scale remediation programmes and operational improvement initiatives.

More recently, Sarah has focused on CDD remediation, the implementation of data controls, and the enhancement of policies and procedures to support stronger governance and regulatory compliance.

Sarah holds the ICA Advanced Certificate in Compliance and the ICA Certificate in Compliance.

With 35 years of experience in Guernsey's finance industry, including 5 years with the Commission's Enforcement Division, where she served as a case officer on three complex enforcement cases, Lara works closely with clients to ensure regulatory compliance. Lara is ACCA qualified and holds a number of ICA qualifications. Having worked in first-line, client-facing roles as well as the compliance function of a large Guernsey fiduciary for the first 20 years of her career, and subsequently spending over 7 years at a top 5 audit firm as Head of Compliance and MLRO, Lara has the knowledge and skills to assist many different licensees. Since joining ASG, Lara has worked with an investment manager to combine compliance processes post-merger, where she is currently MLRO, MLCO and CO, as well as assisting the ASG team to meet a tight deadline for investor onboarding for a fund administrator and working on ad hoc bespoke pieces of work for a fiduciary client.

Lara is personable and reliable, and recent client feedback for Lara said, “You have been a quick learner, and you consistently demonstrate a strong willingness to help. You always approach tasks with thoroughness, ask insightful questions, and ensures our work meets all necessary requirements. Your proactive attitude and attention to detail have been a great asset to the team.”

Jane has more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, primarily within the investment sector.

Prior to joining Advisory Services, Jane spent 5 years at the Guernsey Financial Services Commission as a Technical Specialist within the Investment, Fiduciary and Pension Division. Her regulatory background provides strong insight into regulatory expectations and the practical challenges faced by regulated firms.

Earlier in her career, Jane worked across both Guernsey and South Africa within organisations ranging from large international businesses to smaller firms, giving her broad experience across different operating environments and business models.

At Advisory Services, Jane supports clients across a range of regulatory and compliance projects within the investment and fiduciary sectors.

Jane is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, holds the ICA Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering and has completed the Saïd Business School Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme.

James is a highly organised, delivery-focused operator with extensive experience in project management, system implementation and process redesign across private equity and financial services.

Before joining Advisory Business Solutions in 2025, James spent six years at Apax Partners and sixteen years at Specsavers, where he held a range of roles focused on improving operational efficiency, strengthening controls and delivering complex change. He has deep experience working with senior stakeholders to translate strategic intent into workable, sustainable processes.

James excels at breaking down stalled or over-engineered workflows, aligning teams around clear ownership and delivering improvements that reduce risk, save time and actually stick. He is a qualified accountant (ACCA) and certified project manager (PRINCE2).

Cherise has more than 10 years’ experience in the financial services industry across fiduciary, funds, operations and compliance roles.

She began her career administering portfolios of trusts and companies before moving into project-based roles focused on data management and operational support for both fiduciary and fund structures. Her experience includes overseeing data quality exercises across international teams.

Since joining Advisory Services, Cherise has supported clients through long-term secondments with a particular focus on file reviews, CDD remediation and KYC data integrity. She is known for her attention to detail and structured approach to remediation and compliance work.

Cherise holds the STEP Certificate in International Trust Management and ICA Certificate in Financial Crime Prevention.

Anna has more than 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry, with a strong focus on the investment and banking sectors across the UK and Guernsey.

She began her career with a UK retail bank, building experience across a range of operational and client-focused roles, including mortgage specialisation. Since relocating to Guernsey, Anna has developed extensive regulatory and project experience, including roles within the Guernsey Financial Services Commission’s Investment, Fiduciary and Pension division and as a Business Analyst supporting key initiatives.

Prior to joining Advisory Services, Anna worked for a large multi-jurisdictional investment firm where she was responsible for managing Compliance Monitoring activities.

Anna supports clients across regulatory, compliance and project-based work, bringing a structured and analytical approach to operational and regulatory challenges in project-based work.

She holds a Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice, a STEP Certificate in Trust Administration and an ICA Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering.

Emily has more than 7 years’ experience in corporate governance and company secretarial services across both regulated and unregulated sectors. She has supported a broad range of clients, including partnerships, healthcare organisations, listed companies and private equity firms.

At Advisory Services, Emily supports clients with governance, company secretarial and remediation work, helping businesses maintain effective governance frameworks and meet regulatory obligations. Her experience includes supporting Boards and committees through meeting preparation and attendance, statutory and regulatory filings, corporate record maintenance, remediation projects plus implementation of Business Risk Assessments, Corporate Governance Assessments and Board evaluations.

She is currently studying with the Chartered Governance Institute, having completed her foundation qualification and commenced the CGI Qualifying Programme towards Chartered Governance Professional status.

Jenna has more than 20 years’ experience in corporate governance and company secretarial services, supporting a wide range of regulated, unregulated and listed structures across private equity, real estate, infrastructure and debt funds.

Prior to joining Advisory Services, Jenna led a team responsible for overseeing a complex portfolio of clients, alongside a number of key projects and group-wide initiatives.

At Advisory Services, Jenna has been seconded to a leading global financial services provider in Guernsey, supporting both project delivery and day-to-day client servicing requirements.

Jenna holds a number of professional qualifications, including a diploma from the Chartered Governance Institute.

Jenny has more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, primarily within risk and compliance roles in the banking sector in Guernsey.
During her career, Jenny has served as MLRO for a private bank and has also worked as a Business Analyst supporting financial crime and regulatory change projects across multiple jurisdictions.

Since joining Advisory Services in 2023, Jenny has supported clients across the banking, fiduciary, insurance and prescribed business sectors. Her work has included policy and procedure redesign, process improvement, outsourcing reviews, risk gap analysis, onboarding, remediation and file review projects.

Jenny holds a degree in Business Studies and an ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering.

Peter has more than 40 years’ experience in the financial services industry across the Channel Islands and the UK, with a strong background in banking, relationship management and regulatory oversight.

His career includes 15 years at BNP Paribas as Deputy Branch Manager and Relationship Director, where he held a number of prescribed regulatory roles and worked with clients ranging from local fund administrators to global asset managers, listed vehicles and complex private capital structures. Prior to this, Peter spent more than 20 years at Royal Bank of Scotland International as a Relationship Director.

At Advisory Services, Peter supports clients across regulatory compliance, risk management and quality assurance projects, drawing on his extensive industry knowledge and relationship management experience.

He is known for his collaborative approach and strong client focus.

Peter is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Duncan has almost 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector across both compliance and client-facing roles within fiduciary and fund administration businesses. His experience spans organisations ranging from large corporates to smaller owner-managed firms, giving him a strong understanding of the balance between regulatory requirements and commercial priorities.

During his career, Duncan has held prescribed positions including MLRO and has also gained experience as a Nominated Officer and board member.

With Advisory Services, Duncan supports clients on remediation and compliance-focused projects. His recent work has included assisting with large investor review exercises in response to GFSC deadlines and supporting the ongoing development of a compliance framework for a start-up business.

Duncan holds the Dip (ITM) STEP qualification.

Dave has more than 25 years’ experience in the fiduciary services industry, having worked across Jersey, Mauritius and Guernsey.

Prior to joining Advisory Services, Dave was Managing Director of a local trust company, where he also held the role of Nominated Officer, having previously served as MLRO. During this time, he played a key role in the redevelopment and implementation of the firm’s compliance framework and led the business through an AEOI audit and interviews with MONEYVAL inspectors.

At Advisory Services, Dave has been instrumental in supporting firms through regulatory inspections and assisted with the transition of the compliance database systems for a local non-regulated business.

Dave is known for strong customer service and draws on his extensive industry experience to help clients apply governance and compliance requirements in a strategic and constructive and way.

He is a fellow of the Institute of the Chartered Governance Institute (previously ICSA) and holds the ICA Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering.

Paul has extensive experience in the financial services industry, primarily across banking, compliance, financial crime and risk management.

Between 1998 and 2017, Paul held senior management positions at Credit Suisse in Guernsey, covering compliance, financial crime and risk management responsibilities, including a number of prescribed regulatory roles.

Since joining Advisory Services, Paul has supported clients across a range of compliance and assurance projects. His work has included completing Compliance Monitoring Programmes for fiduciary and investment firms, undertaking client risk assessments for an accountancy practice and an insurance manager, advising on client due diligence requirements and carrying out independent assurance reviews of client files for a credit provider.

He qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in 1981 and previously served for several years as a Committee Member of the Guernsey Association of Compliance Officers.

Alison has experience across financial crime and compliance roles within the banking and fiduciary sectors, including holding the position of MLRO for a local retail bank.
Since joining Advisory Services in 2022, Alison has supported a range of AML and regulatory projects, including AML remediation work for a trust and corporate services provider where she also held the position of deputy MLRO.

Additional project work has included supporting initiatives relating to Civil Penalties legislation and carrying out administrative reviews of historic CMP findings and actions for a fund administrator.

Alison holds the ICA diplomas in Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime Prevention.

Alan has more than 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry, with a background spanning retail funds, fund administration and compliance across Guernsey and London.

Throughout his career, Alan has worked with both global and local fund businesses in Guernsey, building extensive experience across operational, client servicing and regulatory environments. In 2020, he moved into compliance and AML-focused roles within the financial services sector.

At Advisory Services, Alan has supported remediation projects across fund structures, with particular involvement in CDD remediation, data control reviews and the enhancement of policies and procedures.

More recently, Alan has managed remediation teams for a Guernsey corporate services provider, including oversight of teams based in the UK and India.