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Compliance Officer | Regulatory Strategist
Elena is a tech-forward compliance officer with a decade of experience in legal automation, AML compliance, and AI governance. Based in the EU and working across borders, she specializes in building scalable, systems-driven programs that help high-growth companies move fast and stay compliant.
Before joining Unified Law, Elena spent over a decade in RegTech and financial services, supporting product, compliance, and policy strategy for global institutions and early-stage innovators. From writing playbooks for global AML teams to scaling SaaS compliance engines, she’s been in the trenches of legal transformation and thrives on turning complexity into action.
At Unified Law, Elena supports clients in regulated industries, especially fintech, AI, and HR-tech companies. Whether designing investor-ready compliance frameworks or helping clients adopt AI responsibly, she merges legal acumen with product-savvy execution to unlock growth and reduce risk.
Core Areas of Focus
Fractional In-House Counsel Support
Elena provides embedded compliance and legal support for growing companies. From managing policies and KYC workflows to guiding product teams on regulatory risk, she functions like an in-house legal ops leader—without the overhead.M&A Diligence & Deal Strategy - She supports private equity and founder-led businesses in diligencing risk across jurisdictions. With a sharp eye for AML gaps, governance holes, and SaaS compliance red flags, Elena helps clients navigate deals with confidence.
Capital Raise Readiness - Elena prepares investor-facing compliance documentation and privacy checklists that hold up under scrutiny. She’s helped fintechs close seed rounds by organizing disclosures, aligning policies, and simplifying the story.
Pre-Suit Investigations & Litigation Support - With experience handling internal reviews and drafting legal response protocols, Elena supports internal investigations and document readiness efforts, often coordinating discovery alongside outside counsel.
Technology Transactions & AI Governance - Elena reviews and drafts SaaS and data processing agreements, and is a go-to for AI companies needing help with governance, bias mitigation, or preparing for EU AI Act-style scrutiny.
Career Highlights
FXCM – Financial Crime Compliance Officer - Assisted global compliance efforts for a multi-jurisdictional financial services firm by building AML/CTF programs that align with FCA, ASIC, CySEC, and FSCA regulations. Co-authored an AML investigations playbook that accelerated case reviews by 30%.
eCommerce HR – RegTech Company Manager - For more than a decade, Elena worked as both a strategist and product owner—managing budgets, supervising contractors, automating workflows, and integrating legal compliance directly into the tech stack.
Published Author & Speaker - Elena’s thought leadership covers crypto crime, AI ethics, and compliance automation. Her recent publications—including Crypto Crime Uncovered and How to Prepare for AI Regulations—have been cited in internal training sessions and discussed at industry roundtables.
Bar Admissions
Elena holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Oxford Brookes University. She is one exam away from her Master of Laws (Hons) from Plovdiv University.
Education
Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Oxford Brookes University, 2013
Master of Laws (Hons), Plovdiv University (expected 2025)
CS50: Computer Science, Harvard University, 2014
AI Adoption & Prompt Engineering, Software University, 2025
Beyond the Bar
Red Cross Volunteer – Elena has over 20 years of service supporting disaster relief, blood drives, and community resilience.
Animal Shelter Advocate – On weekends, she walks dogs and supports adoption efforts at her local shelter.
Coffee Connoisseur & Travel Buff – A lover of Italian brews and European capitals, she’s visited 14 so far—with Lisbon next on the list.
Fur-baby Enthusiast – Elena’s Labrador, Hasty, serves as her chief stress relief officer and occasional Zoom guest.
