The Team
Directors
Susan Sewell
Richard Jobling
The Team has extensive business experience to combine with our regulatory compliance expertise:
financial accounting
investment
business development, marketing
client support
systems support
Compliance Assistants
Hazel Murphy
Stewart Carter
More about us…
Susan Sewell — Director
A graduate of Leeds University, Susan’s early career in audit and tax prepared her well for the financial aspects of FCA regulation. Her 10 years at Arbuthnot Fund Managers started as Financial Controller/Compliance Assistant, and developed into 7 years as Group Compliance Co-ordinator. She was Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer for three Arbuthnot companies. Susan moved to JPMorgan Chase private bank where she was Compliance Officer for 2 years.
From 2007, Susan was a Senior Regulatory Compliance Consultant with HedgeStart Partners LLP, working with her own portfolio of retained clients on all aspects of regulatory compliance. The business was acquired by a Private Equity group and merged into a large international services company in 2014. Later that year, Susan joined forces with Richard Jobling to form “Richwell”.
Susan has a large family and enjoys living a rural lifestyle with horses, dogs and chickens and outdoor pursuits such as sailing.
Richard Jobling — Director
Phone: +44 20 3058 5092
Richard, a Manchester University graduate with a Masters in Management from the London Business School, has enjoyed 40+ years working with financial services companies in the UK. He has held senior roles marketing, management, investment, client support, project management and business development. His introduction to FCA compliance (as Compliance Officer/MLRO) came in 2005 when establishing the London office of Swiss-based multi-family investment office. Richard was the Compliance Officer and MLRO, roles he has taken responsibility for in several places since. In 2009 Richard joined HedgeStart Partners LLP, as the Business Development and Client Management Partner for the firm offering start-up, tax, accounting, IT, and regulatory compliance services. The business was acquired in 2014. Later that year Richard rejoined forces with Susan Sewell to form Richwell.
Richard is based in Sussex where he can walk the dog in the countryside. He stays active playing six-a-side football, touch rugby and is a “fun runner” with the Haywards Heath Harriers.
Hazel Murphy - Compliance Assistant
Hazel joined Richwell in 2016 as our first Regulatory Compliance Assistant, helping the Directors and Clients in a broad range of areas. She manages the implementation of the Richwell Online Compliance System (ROCS) and related outsourced task management services.
Hazel has a degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Health and the Environment from Cranfield University. Before Richwell, she worked for a Community Enterprise Company managing Community Health Services.
With her background it is perhaps not surprising that Hazel has a special interest in “ESG”, as well as her focus on regulatory compliance standards as they develop.
Outdoor pursuits dominate her leisure interests, including travel, cycling, kayaking, camping, walking, archery and growing her own vegetables.
Stewart Carter - Compliance Assistant
Stewart joined Richwell in 2023 after no less than 29 years at Euraplan Limited, providers of pension fund accounting systems and investment reconciliation services. His roles were multiple and various, including client support and training, product management, business development and client relationship management. (Richard Jobling was a Director at Euraplan in the late 1990’s).
Before Euraplan, Stewart was searching for oil, working in the Borehole Geophysics Division for a UK based Oil Exploration Company.
As Compliance Assistant, Stewart’s duties include:
making sure that all our clients are submitting their regulatory returns on time
supporting the ongoing development and use of the Richwell Online Compliance System
assisting the Directors on all aspects of service delivery
Outside of Richwell, Stewart’s varied interests include music (adding to his vast vinyl record collection), cycling, DIY, travelling, and the cinema.
Our History
Richwell Partners Ltd
Richwell was incorporated in September 2014. We settled on the ‘Rich’ from Richard and the ‘well’ from Sewell when struggling to find a name with an available web domain. We added ‘Partners’ reflecting our 50:50 approach to everything.
We had worked as friends and colleagues at HedgeStart Partners LLP for 5 years. Before this Susan had supported Richard as a client in his Compliance Oversight/MLRO roles.
After the sale of the HedgeStart business, we were keen to work with start-ups and the smaller, entrepreneurial, FCA-regulated companies. We adopted the tried and tested retainer / service model / personalised approach that we have always believed in. Working from our home offices, we provide a cost-effective and bespoke service, delivered by experienced, independent consultants. Our success continues to be based on this.
In the early years we engaged with a range of businesses that continue to represent the bulk of our ongoing relationships. New engagements are almost entirely from client referrals or from other contacts in the industry. Our work with FCA applications for authorisation extend naturally into the long term ongoing engagements that we seek.
Having a good consultant is key to maintaining a strong regulatory compliance regime. However, some clients need more in terms of additional systems and administrative support to ensure all compliance tasks are completed and evidenced fully. We therefore developed the “Richwell Online Compliance System” (ROCS). The ROCS system is available to retained clients to be updated by them directly, or with additional administrative support from Richwell if required. ROCS has become increasingly useful in the delivery of the broader consulting service.
Company Philosophy
Client Focus
We have a proven and pragmatic approach that works well. We:
Focus on the individual needs of the client
Tailor the service to dovetail with these needs
Employ senior, self managed, self motivated people, based in home offices
Deliver the service via senior consultants, who are available at all times
Develop systems with functionality to suit all client types
Offer additional administrative and compliance task management support when needed
Client Relationships
We act as if we are working directly for the client firm or prospective client firm (all assistance prior to engagement is given freely)
We do not take on business if we feel the client is better served elsewhere. We refer people to others as appropriate
Our aim is to reduce the client overhead on compliance, not increase it
We reduce the compliance burden by understanding the detail, getting things right first time. We are up front if there are areas beyond our expertise and require. We know who and where to find answers
We cover regulatory change as a natural part of our retained role (no extra ‘project’ costs)
We work for an agreed retainer, designed to cover all we do, but flexible in that either party can ask for a review at any time. No-one is tied to long term contracts
For one-off projects we agree an up-front fee
We do not charge hour or day rates. We do not expend energy on keeping and justifying time-logs. This encourages people to use our services fully
Client Referrals
Richwell has developed entirely through kind referrals from clients and our industry contacts
We are happy to speak to anyone who asks us for help and assist in any way appropriate
We will often refer people to regulatory consultants, or regulatory platform or other service providers in client best interest, as appropriate to the situation
Friends in the Industry
Clients, other regulated firms or those considering regulation
Industry Service providers
Other regulatory consultants
Do not hesitate to contact us
We are happy to help anyone at any stage of the business strategy. Where we cannot help directly we recommend others. Please consider us ‘friends in the industry’, whether you are: