Senior advisory for regulated and complex businesses.

Lariat advises regulated and complex businesses across Operational Excellence, Compliance, Information Security, Transaction Advisory, Data & AI Governance, and Quality & Audit Readiness. Each practice is led by a senior specialist with 10+ years in their domain. Where your problem spans more than one โ€” most do โ€” we work as a single team.

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Operations & Transformation

We help organisations redesign how they operate โ€” from target operating models and ERP programmes to S&OP and post-merger integration. Our work is grounded in delivery: we don't write strategy decks for someone else to execute.

What we do

Packaged offerings

Operations Diagnostic โ€” 4 weeks

Independent review of your operating model, processes, and performance. Outputs: prioritised improvement roadmap with quantified opportunity.

ERP Readiness Assessment โ€” 3 weeks

Pre-implementation readiness review for SAP, D365, or NetSuite programmes. Outputs: risk register, mobilisation plan, recommended governance.

Embedded PMO Lead โ€” 6โ€“12 months

Interim senior PMO leadership for complex transformation programmes.

Selected work

Operations ยท Pharma ยท Global Programme

Building the process foundation for Lean Six Sigma and digitalisation across global operations at a top-5 pharma company.

The challenge. A top-5 global pharmaceutical company needed to standardise and document its end-to-end global operations before it could pursue Lean Six Sigma improvements and digitalisation at scale. Operations spanned eight distinct workstreams โ€” order fulfilment, warehousing, command centre, master data, vendor management, sustainability, compliance, and digital capabilities โ€” but the existing process landscape was fragmented, undocumented in places, and held in silos. Without a single source of truth, neither continuous improvement nor process mining could begin.

The work. Lariat embedded a senior PMO into the programme. We established the governance, planning cadence, RACI model, and stakeholder engagement framework โ€” and ran the operating rhythm against weekly status, escalations, and sponsor reporting throughout. From there, we led 38 processes across Tier 1 and Tier 2 from stakeholder interviews through validation and approval, and into the central process repository as the agreed single source of truth. Where workstream scope was ambiguous, we drove the alignment sessions to resolve it. Where downstream Lean Six Sigma and digitalisation work depended on Phase 1 outputs, we sequenced delivery so the handover was clean.

The outcome. By project close, Tier 1 was fully delivered against the agreed scope, the central process repository was live, and the foundation for Phase 2 was in place. Phase 2 โ€” Lean Six Sigma analysis and digitalisation workshops โ€” launched on schedule, on the structure Lariat built. The client now has the documented baseline required for process mining, organisational design, and digital workshop prioritisation across global operations.

Six-month embedded PMO engagement ยท Eight workstreams ยท 38 processes mapped, validated, and uploaded ยท Phase 1 delivered, Phase 2 enabled ยท Senior-led, single Lariat consultant.

Max Savelev Led by Max Savelev (MBA), Operations & Transformation practice.
Discuss an operations engagement โ†’

Regulatory & Compliance

We advise regulated firms โ€” payments, e-money, fintech, crypto โ€” through authorisation, supervision, and complex change. Our partners hold FCA-approved person status and bring direct experience of the regulator's expectations on both sides of the table.

What we do

Packaged offerings

FCA Authorisation Readiness โ€” 6 weeks

Gap assessment against FCA expectations, application drafting, and submission support. Typical engagement runs 6โ€“12 months end-to-end.

MLRO-as-a-Service

Outsourced or co-sourced MLRO function for authorised firms. Includes risk assessment, oversight reporting, and regulatory liaison.

Financial Crime Health Check โ€” 3 weeks

Independent review of your AML/CTF framework against current regulatory expectations. Outputs: prioritised remediation plan.

Selected work

Compliance ยท Payments

"Lariat took us from initial FCA scoping to authorised PI in eleven months. Their command of the regulator's expectations made the difference between a polished application and a credible one."

โ€” CEO, FCA-authorised payments firm
Alex Ryadchik Engagement led by Alex Ryadchik (BA/MA in Economics, Approved EMD Individual), Regulatory & Compliance practice.
Discuss a regulatory engagement โ†’

Information Security & Privacy

We design, implement, and audit the controls that protect regulated data and earn regulator and customer trust. Our practice holds CISM, CIPP/E, CIPM, and PCIP โ€” and works equally well with technical teams and boards.

What we do

Packaged offerings

ISMS Scoping & Readiness โ€” 4 weeks

Define ISMS scope, identify control gaps, and produce an ISO 27001 certification roadmap.

GDPR Programme Review โ€” 3 weeks

Independent assessment of your data protection programme against current ICO expectations and case law. Outputs: prioritised remediation plan.

Fractional DPO

Outsourced Data Protection Officer for organisations needing senior privacy leadership without a full-time hire.

Selected work

Security ยท Payments

ISO 27001 certification in seven months for an FCA-authorised payments firm.

A growth-stage payments firm needed ISO 27001 certification to win enterprise customers and satisfy partner-bank due diligence โ€” but had no ISMS, no security function, and no realistic timeline. Lariat scoped the ISMS deliberately to cover only the regulated payment flows, designed the control framework, ran the gap remediation across engineering and operations, and prepared the firm through Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits. Certification was achieved in seven months with zero major non-conformities. Two enterprise contracts that had been blocked on certification closed within six weeks of the certificate landing.

Alexander Berezhnoy Led by Alexander Berezhnoy (PhD), Information Security & Privacy practice.
Discuss a security engagement โ†’

Transaction Advisory

We advise on acquisitions, disposals, and investments in regulated and complex businesses. Our work spans transaction readiness, due diligence, and post-completion integration โ€” grounded in operational and regulatory reality.

What we do

Packaged offerings

Transaction Readiness Assessment โ€” 4 weeks

Readiness review for founders and boards preparing for sale or investment. Outputs: management information pack, identified risk areas, recommended remediation.

Buy-side Due Diligence

Commercial, operational, and regulatory assessment of target businesses for acquirers. Outputs: due diligence report, risk-rated findings, integration considerations.

Integration Planning Sprint โ€” 6 weeks

Rapid integration planning for newly completed deals. Outputs: 100-day plan, workstream structure, governance framework.

Selected work

Transaction Advisory ยท Payments

Lariat advised on the acquisition and post-completion integration of three regulated payments businesses, spanning FCA authorisation transfer, AML uplift, and operational consolidation across fourteen months.

Lariat Transaction Advisory practice.

Discuss a transaction โ†’

Data & AI Governance

We help regulated firms govern their data assets and AI systems โ€” building the frameworks, controls, and audit trails that satisfy regulators and make data-intensive operations sustainable.

What we do

Packaged offerings

Data Governance Diagnostic โ€” 4 weeks

Assessment of your current data governance posture against regulatory expectations. Outputs: gap report, prioritised improvement roadmap.

AI Governance Framework โ€” 6 weeks

Design and implementation of an AI governance framework proportionate to your risk profile and regulatory obligations.

DPIA Support

End-to-end DPIA facilitation for high-risk processing activities, including AI-driven decision-making systems.

Selected work

Data Governance ยท Payments

A regulated payments firm needed to demonstrate data governance controls for an FCA-led regulatory review. Lariat designed and implemented a data lineage and classification framework within eight weeks, enabling the firm to present a credible control environment to the regulator.

Lariat Data & AI Governance practice.

Discuss a data governance engagement โ†’

Quality & Audit Readiness

We prepare regulated firms for internal, external, and regulatory audits โ€” building the documentation, testing evidence, and control environments that hold up to scrutiny.

What we do

Packaged offerings

Audit Readiness Sprint โ€” 3 weeks

Rapid review of your audit readiness posture: mock auditor walkthroughs, evidence gap analysis, and a clear remediation plan.

QMS Gap Assessment โ€” 4 weeks

Assessment of your quality management system against ISO 9001 or sector-specific standards. Outputs: gap report, certification roadmap.

Regulatory Inspection Preparation

End-to-end preparation for regulator-led inspections: dry runs, document assembly, and management briefings.

Selected work

Quality & Audit ยท Pharma

A pharmaceutical distributor facing a GMP inspection had significant documentation gaps. Lariat implemented a quality management system and prepared the team for inspection within twelve weeks. The firm passed with no critical findings.

Lariat Quality & Audit Readiness practice.

Discuss audit readiness โ†’

Sectors

Our practices apply across regulated and complex industries. The following sectors represent the majority of our work over the past five years.

Financial Services & Payments

FCA-authorised firms, payments and e-money institutions, MSBs, regulated crypto.

Compliance Security Operational Excellence

Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences

Manufacturers and distributors operating under GxP/GMP/GDP, with global supply chain complexity.

Operational Excellence Security

Retail & Consumer Goods

Omnichannel retailers, FMCG groups, and consumer brands navigating supply chain volatility.

Operational Excellence

Technology & SaaS

Mid-market and growth-stage technology firms scaling operations and customer trust.

Security Operational Excellence

Professional Services

Regulated advisors, accounting and legal firms with operational and data protection complexity.

Compliance Security

Canada MSB & Cross-Border Payments

FINTRAC-registered MSBs, cross-border remittance operators, and firms launching regulated payment corridors in Canada.

Compliance Transactions

Crypto & Digital Assets

Regulated crypto asset service providers, exchange operators, and custodians navigating FCA, MiCA, and FINTRAC requirements.

Compliance Security Transactions

How we engage

Lariat is intentionally small. Engagements are led personally by a practice partner, supported by a curated network of associates we've worked with for years. You hire the people who will do the work.

Senior-led, always.

A Lariat engagement is led by a partner, not handed to a junior team. Day-to-day delivery is by people you've met.

Scoped honestly.

We propose the smallest engagement that solves your problem. If a four-week diagnostic answers the question, we don't sell a four-month programme.

Independent.

No software vendor partnerships, no implementation kickbacks, no incentive to recommend the wrong tool.

Six practices, one conversation.

Tell us your problem and we'll route you to the right practice โ€” or to all three. Most engagements start with a 30-minute discovery call.

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