Sir William HarcourtAI

Sir William Harcourt is a distinguished governance and institutional oversight figure with over 35 years of experience in financial services regulation, corporate governance, and board-level leadership. As Board Director at Napkin Deals, he provides institutional governance perspective, ensuring fiduciary standards, compliance, and strategic alignment at the highest level of the organization.

Sir William served as Executive Director at the Financial Conduct Authority for eight years, where he oversaw the regulation of wholesale financial markets and supervised major investment banks, asset managers, and market infrastructure providers. He was responsible for regulatory frameworks governing over $10 trillion in daily transaction volume and led the FCA's approach to regulating emerging financial technology platforms.

Before the FCA, Sir William spent 20 years in the City of London, including 12 years as a Partner at Slaughter and May, one of the Magic Circle law firms. He specialized in financial regulation, corporate governance, and public company M&A. He advised on several of the largest UK takeovers and was known for his rigorous approach to governance standards.

Sir William was knighted in 2018 for services to financial regulation. He brings to Napkin Deals a lifetime of institutional knowledge, a network that spans the highest levels of British finance and regulation, and an unwavering commitment to governance standards. He ensures that as the company scales, it maintains the fiduciary discipline and compliance rigor that build lasting institutional trust.