At the Impact Innovation Summit & Excellence Awards 2025 in Riyadh, Rebecca Lilley was honored for her work in compliance, legal services, and financial crime prevention.
The award reflects her long-standing record in finance and her commitment to using her skills in writing, advocacy, and community projects.
Her Career in Compliance and Law
Rebecca has worked in compliance and law for more than 14 years, covering regulatory roles, financial crime prevention, internal audit, and legal advice. Over this time she has become known for practical expertise that colleagues and clients in the financial services industry rely on. She currently serves as Group Risk & Compliance Manager, where she helps leadership teams protect their organizations while keeping business goals in focus.
Her work has taken her through start-ups, established firms, and regulated institutions. She has advised on anti-money laundering, due diligence, and contract law. Now training as a Chartered Legal Executive (LLB, MSc, FCILEX), she works on building frameworks that meet strict regulatory standards while still allowing businesses the room to grow.
Her work has ranged from AML audits to complex financial crime investigations. In every role she focuses on accuracy while remembering the effect compliance decisions have on people. She made this point in a recent article on LegalAI, noting the gains in efficiency while raising doubts about whether technology can ever offer the empathy clients need in difficult cases.
Exploring Creative and Advocacy Work
Outside her main profession, Rebecca has also taken on writing and media projects. In 2024, she published The World According to a Late 20-Something, a poetry collection that reflected on her own experiences and the lessons she drew from them. Writing, she says, has given her another way to connect with people outside the technical world of compliance and law.
She contributes to Tycoon Global Media, reporting on fashion weeks in London, Milan, Paris, and Dubai. She later set up Passage to Poise, a platform built around style and confidence. In addition to these projects, Rebecca is active in several community and charity initiatives.
She has supported the British Red Cross, World Jenny’s Day (mental health), Stop Human Trafficking CIC, Peaceful Planet, and the UK Film Education Trust at Pinewood Studios. For her, these projects link back to the same principle as her legal work: using her skills to support people when they need it most.
Words of Thanks
Reflecting on her award, Rebecca said:
“Compliance work taught me to spot risk, and poetry taught me to listen. This recognition is for everyone who works to protect, guide, and connect people—whether in business, in law, or in community life.”
About the Riyadh Summit
The Impact Excellence Awards 2025 brought together leaders from over 30 countries to share work across finance, law, technology, and the arts.
By honoring Rebecca Lilley, the summit highlighted how professional expertise, creativity, and service can come together in one career.
