Saxo hires Michelle West as UK head of compliance
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In her role, Michelle will focus on further enhancing Saxo's risk and compliance functions, ensuring Saxo maintains the highest standards of operational integrity.
Michelle brings significant expertise and a wealth of experience in compliance, having held several regulatory compliance roles over the past 30 years at the Bank of America, ABN AMRO, National Bank of Greece, Alpari UK Limited, Electronic Voice & Foreign Exchange Limited and Plus500UK Limited.
Prior to joining Saxo, Michelle served as the Head of Compliance & Money Laundering Reporting Officer at Plus500UK Limited, where she co-spearheaded the development of effective compliance and anti-money laundering policies and procedures, systems and controls at the firm. Before this, Michelle was a regulatory consultant, working with some of the UK's top retail banks, foreign banks, hedge funds, corporate financiers, equity and forex brokers.
Commenting on her new role, Michelle West said:
"I'm excited to be joining Saxo at such a pivotal time for the business. In an evolving regulatory landscape, I look forward to working with the team to ensure that Saxo remains at the forefront of risk management and regulatory compliance."
Andrew Bresler, CEO of Saxo UK, commented on her appointment:
"We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the team, as we continue to deliver on our ambitious growth strategy in the UK, supporting UK investors to make the most of their money and savings. Michelle's appointment reinforces Saxo's commitment to safeguarding our clients' interests through strong operational foundations and effective risk management. Michelle's extensive experience and breadth of knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to develop and expand our UK operations.'
Michelle's appointment follows that of Neil Wilson as UK Investor Strategist in April 2025. In his role, Neil will focus on providing market insight and commentary tailored for UK investors, further strengthening Saxo's commitment to delivering expert guidance to its client base.
Last month, Saxo unveiled a new Flexible ISA, following a 591% surge in demand for its Stocks and Shares ISA during January and February 2025 compared to the same period last year. The launch comes as Saxo continues to see strong momentum across its business. A revamped pricing model has helped drive a 132% year-on-year increase in new trading clients globally in 2024. In the UK specifically, Saxo has reported notable growth among younger and more diverse investors: clients under the age of 25 now account for 15% of new sign-ups, up from 9% in 2023, while the proportion of new female clients has tripled year-on-year to reach 18%.
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