Nakai McLellan
FCCA CIA CAMS MSc

Head of Internal Audit & Regional Lead.

Senior executive specialising in audit, risk management, and regulatory compliance within high-growth financial technology and investment services.

Download Executive Summary PDF Contact Nakai via LinkedIn
Nakai McLellan
AvailabilityOpen to opportunities
Notice period3 months notice
Work patternHybrid
Recruiter tool

Candidate Analysis

Paste a role description to compare it against Douglas's skills, experience, and operating range. The assessment is written for recruiters and hiring managers deciding whether to make contact.

  • Highlights the strongest matching strengths and relevant evidence.
  • Calls out gaps or weak spots without overselling.
  • Ends with a practical recommendation on whether Douglas is worth approaching.

No IP address or other identifying details are stored.

Built for recruiter-side screening, not candidate self-scoring.

The Vision of Audit

With over a decade of leadership in regulated financial services, I operate as a pragmatic, forward-looking business partner and change agent. My approach transcends traditional compliance; it is about building resilient frameworks that enable innovation.

Having spearheaded audit functions at global leaders like Block and Maples Group, I specialise in navigating the intricate intersections of traditional finance and the digital asset frontier, across CBI, FCA, CSSF, DNB, JFSA, CIMA, BVI and DFSA jurisdictions.

Career Trajectory

Experience Matrix

Aug 2025 — Present

Internal Audit Lead — International

Block
Driving the European audit strategy with a focus on regulatory engagement and board-level governance as a CF2-designated executive under the CBI's Fitness & Probity regime. Leading risk-based audits across AML, Privacy, and Information Security while shaping control frameworks aligned with EU regulatory expectations.
Nov 2021 — Aug 2025

Senior Vice President, Internal Audit

Maples Group
Led a multi-jurisdictional Internal Audit team delivering independent, risk-based assurance across highly regulated financial services operations in Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, BVI, Dubai, Jersey, the UK and Cayman Islands. Served as Acting Head of Internal Audit during leadership transitions.
Feb 2019 — Nov 2021

Vice President, Internal Audit

Maples Group
Managed the global, risk-based audit plan execution across international locations, focusing on high-risk operational and compliance areas. Led complex, end-to-end audits into financial crime, regulatory reporting, and operational failures.
Oct 2017 — Feb 2019

Senior Internal Auditor

Western Union
Executed end-to-end audits across high-risk areas including AML/financial crime, sanctions, regulatory reporting, finance systems, customer operations and emerging technologies within a complex, global, regulated payments environment.
Competency Map

Capability & Innovation

check_circle Strong Proficiency
  • Internal Audit Strategy
  • Regulatory Engagement
  • Board & Audit Committee Advisory
insights AI & Analytics

Data-driven Assurance

Implementing predictive risk models and automated control testing.

Data Analytics AI Governance
build Toolkit

Candidate Analysis

Give recruiters a fast, evidence-led read on how Douglas lines up against a role and whether it is worth reaching out.

Open Tool arrow_outward
Strategic Focus 2024+

Regulatory Change Management in Digital Assets

Active Research Area

Governance in the Age of Agility

I believe that effective audit isn't about finding what's wrong, but about verifying what's right — providing the confidence for businesses to take calculated risks and scale with velocity.

10+
Years experience
8
Regulatory jurisdictions
Operating style Security-first delivery

Calm systems, dependable operations, and practical AI adoption without unnecessary theatre.

Why this matters Useful leadership signal

This space now surfaces actual positioning instead of empty placeholder tiles.