The Team
The Sturgeon team celebrates their trusted friends. Roll over each team picture to see them…….
Seonaid Mackenzie
Seonaid Mackenzie, a Designated Partner and Founder, of award winning Sturgeon Ventures in 1998 as a single family office, incubating companies and firms from that day – known as the Venture Catalyst. Sturgeon Ventures moved into the specialty of incubating Financial Services firms as well as individuals and in 2000 pioneered “Regulatory Incubation” for the first time as individuals became approved persons, under the FSA migrating from The SFA and IMRO.
Seonaid’s career in financial services spans the early years of being a US Equity Institutional Stockbroker at well-known firms to launching the first paid independent research product in the UK in 1995, which was paid out of CSA to a corporate Finance Advisor, pre and post Sturgeon leading a number of transactions.
Seonaid has advised and managed numerous family office portfolios personally and being involved in numerous investment committees to date, whilst also being a member of Fund Boards on and offshore.
Seonaid is a genuine out of the box thinker. Outside of her busy work schedule, she mentors and is a frequent speaker in schools on subjects including the journey of a female entrepreneur and looks after Sandy, the family Spaniel.
Tom Powell
Tom joined Sturgeon in 2011 and is a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer. A qualified Chartered Accountant, Tom previously helped found an investment management firm building it into a multi fund and multi manager business before resigning to take a sabbatical and join Sturgeon. Stella, his Working Cocker Spaniel, takes up a lot of spare time.
Sarah Whitehead
Sarah is a Partner, Portfolio Manager and the Head of Legal for Sturgeon, and together with Seonaid sits on the Investment Committees. Following an English degree at Oxford, Sarah qualified as a solicitor, joining Clifford Chance’s investment funds department, her time there including a year in Man Group’s derivative funds team in Switzerland. Sarah then spent eleven years at ING Group, first as a trading floor lawyer, then in the capital markets team, becoming head of debt capital markets for Russia and the CIS. Before joining Sturgeon in 2016, Sarah worked for five years at the Pemberton funds group as an inhouse legal and compliance advisor.
Alex Luke
A partner at Sturgeon and joined in 2010. Head of Due Diligence & Onboarding of new clients, Controlled Function Persons and exits of clients who leave the Firm, with over 25 years’ experience in recruitment. Alex walked 26 miles for Macmillan on the Thames Walk and cycled 80k overnight for female cancers as part of the Sturgeon team. The next team challenge is under discussion and could be abroad! Alex’s family dog is called Ziggy.
Kenny Green
Kenny is the Compliance Officer (SMF16) and Money Laundering Reporting Officer (SMF17) at Sturgeon, as well as the Chair of the Risk and Compliance Committee. Kenny started his Compliance career with Aberdeen Asset Management and has worked with a number of firms providing Compliance oversight before starting his own Compliance Consultancy in 2015. Since then, Kenny, has worked with many firms in the city providing Compliance advice and best practice on frameworks, in particular specialising in Client Asset oversight. This has seen Kenny working with many asset management firms, wealth managers, investment banks, fintech start-ups and platforms prior to joining Sturgeon. Kenny is a holder of the CISI Diploma in Investment Compliance.
Becky Neill
Becky Neill is a Compliance Analyst, responsible specifically for the monitoring of the Appointed Representative Firms within Sturgeon as well as general compliance support. Becky has over 15 years compliance experience previously working in Japanese and German Investment Banks in the city.
Lizzy Balcombe
Lizzy Balcombe is a Compliance Analyst. Lizzy has 12 years’ experience within compliance industry, most recently on the buy side for a mid-sized asset manager and brings her expertise to the Sturgeon team.
When not at work, Lizzy is a keen albeit very amateur DIY-er and enjoys attempting to improve her ‘project’ house.
When not at work, Lizzy is a keen albeit very amateur DIY-er and enjoys attempting to improve her ‘project’ house.
Stephen Butler
Stephen joined the team in 2017 and is responsible for the risk monitoring of the Portfolios managed by Sturgeon. Having gained over 20 years of experience on both the buy and sell sides of the market, working within some of the largest banks and systematic hedge funds in London. He has held senior positions within both trading teams, portfolio risk and operational risk committees during his career.
Stephanie McClennon
Following a period overseas, Stephanie joined Sturgeon as a Compliance Analyst and now leads on Financial Promotions for the firm. She has a degree in Economics and a twenty-year career in managing international fixed income and currencies, including emerging markets, for institutional dollar-based portfolios. In her spare time, she walks Howard the spaniel, plays tennis and practices yoga.
James Mabey
James joins Sturgeon Ventures Operational Team having gained over 10 years experience on the sell-side and buy-side, whilst holding Chief Operating / Executive / Financial Officer positions for numerous European hedge fund launches and capital market roles, within large UK institutional banks. In his spare time he provides football coaching, enjoys reading Greek mythology and has launched an organic dog food company.
Joe Pritchett
Joe joins Sturgeon Ventures as an Operations Special Projects Analyst having recently gained a degree in Financial Mathematics. Joe has a year’s experience working in Operations at an Asset Management during his placement year. In his spare time, he enjoys playing football and basketball as well as exploring new parts of the countryside with his dog Trooper.
