Before I worked in governance, risk and compliance, I spent time tutoring mathematics.
On the surface, maths and regulatory compliance don’t seem connected. One deals with numbers. The other deals with rules, frameworks and regulators. But the longer I’ve worked in FCA-regulated environments, the more I’ve realised that maths tutoring quietly shaped how I approach compliance today.
Clarity Beats Complexity
When tutoring, I quickly learned something important:
If a student doesn’t understand something, the problem usually isn’t intelligence — it’s explanation.
The same is true in compliance.
Most compliance failures aren’t caused by malicious intent. They happen because:
- The rules weren’t clearly translated into practical steps
- The business didn’t truly understand what “good” looks like
- Policies were written for regulators, not for real people
In maths, you break complex problems into simple steps.
In compliance, you do exactly the same.
If a governance framework can’t be explained clearly to frontline staff, it’s not operational — it’s theoretical.
Structure Creates Confidence
Mathematics is structured. There’s logic. There’s sequence. There’s cause and effect.
Strong compliance frameworks are the same.
When governance structures are clear:
- Reporting lines are obvious
- Responsibilities are defined
- Decisions are traceable
- Risk is visible
Structure removes uncertainty.
In tutoring, students gained confidence once they understood the method.
In regulated firms, confidence grows when governance is consistent and predictable.
The Real Lesson: Understanding Over Memorising
The biggest mistake students make in maths is memorising steps without understanding why they work.
The biggest mistake firms make in compliance is copying templates without understanding the regulatory intent.
GDPR policies copied from the internet.
Consumer Duty statements that sound impressive but change nothing.
Risk registers that exist but aren’t used.
Understanding the “why” behind regulation is what makes compliance defensible.
Maths taught me that method matters — but understanding matters more.
And nearly two decades into compliance, that lesson still shapes how I build frameworks today.
