About
Abbotstone Consultants is headed by compliance expert, Valerie Dickson
Valerie is a qualified Company Secretary and Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute of UK & Ireland (FCG) experienced in governance, corporate administration, compliance risk frameworks, risk appetite & mitigation within complex businesses. She has had company secretarial roles in medium and global organisations including four years in Internal Audit of a global bank. Settling in Compliance for the last 20 years, Valerie has extensive experience navigating complex regulatory landscapes in the UK, EU & US gained in global financial services organisations including 18 years in Citigroup, EMEA. Valerie has effective and strong communication skills gained through participation in global senior committees and multi-disciplinary regional and global groups. She has represented the Compliance Function in steering committees and industry groups established to implement new regulatory initiatives; more recently MiFID II, GDPR, UK and EU Trade Sanctions, FCA Consumer Duty, and ESG.
She loves nothing more than driving projects to timely implementation in collaboration with internal and external partnerships. In addition, Valerie is also skilled at organising various insurances and is an experienced mentor and mentee.
Valerie is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a degree in History. She is also an Associate of the International Compliance Association and has completed certificates in AML and Managing Sanctions to compliment she working experience. She is also a Certified Data Practitioner from The Analytics Institute of Ireland.
While she has lived in the UK for over 30 years, she is proud to be Canadian. She has an interest in cycling, hill walking and travel – the more history the better! – as well as cooking and knitting. Having recently moved from London to Wiltshire, with her partner, Ian, and feline princess (or boss) Jill, Valerie is hoping to join the village women’s cricket team this Spring. She is also a keen supporter of St Mungo’s, Centrepoint and New Future Nepal charities.
Ian Jones Solicitor/Consultant
Ian Jones is a qualified solicitor, experienced senior independent trustee, and company secretary. He has over twenty years’ experience in governance and compliance work.
He has specialised in governance, legal ethics, risk management and project management, including teaching in these subject areas. He has taught for the Law Society of Scotland, MBL Seminars and Central Law Training.
Ian has worked extensively in anti-money laundering and anti-bribery and corruption. He is the author of Butterworths In-House Lawyer’s Handbook.