When Jane Shahmanesh and Pete Galloway launched Abide Consulting Group, they weren’t chasing disruption for its own sake. They were solving a problem they’d seen ignored for decades, one they’d grumbled about over countless lunches during their parallel careers inside the world’s most powerful financial institutions. Why, they asked, had legal and compliance services remained so inaccessible, inflexible, and misaligned with how real businesses operate?
Now, as co-owners and managing partners of Abide, Jane and Pete have turned a career’s worth of war stories and what-ifs into one of the most quietly transformative forces in financial services. With a business model built for the modern era and a service philosophy rooted in deep empathy for the overburdened COO-turned-CCO, they’re reshaping what outsourced compliance can and should look like. Part operator, part advisor, and all-in partners to their clients, the duo behind Abide has created more than a consulting firm.
A Partnership Decades in the Making
Abide Consulting Group is the result of a 30-year professional connection between Jane and Pete, first forged in the Legal and Compliance department at Bankers Trust before its merger with Deutsche Bank. They each went on to counsel major institutions, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Citi, Deutsche Bank, grappling with regulatory complexity while sharing the same long-running frustration: “Why wasn’t anyone making compliance simpler?” That question turned into action. About a decade ago, Jane launched Adherence Consulting Group, a boutique firm, to solve those gaps. She invited Pete to join her from the outset, but it took him a couple of years to graduate from the big firms, so she forged ahead.
Years later, they exited the original consulting business they had formed and reunited to form Abide. Today, the firm offers outsourced compliance services for private funds, wealth management firms, and FINRA broker-dealers. The team either supports in-house Chief Compliance Officers or acts as the outsourced CCO or as a firm’s full-service compliance department. Pete brings a business-first mindset, aligning regulatory programs with client growth, while Jane’s deep industry relationships have been central to the firm’s expansion.
Their affiliated law firm, Shahmanesh Law Group (doing business as Abide Legal), handles day-to-day legal matters, but Abide’s focus remains on lightening the load for firms where compliance is one of many responsibilities. It’s a mission Jane describes with clarity and charm: “We seek to be a source of respite for these multi-hatted people by being their Keebler elves: we can bake the cookies for them and make their CCO title more manageable.”
Leaner, Smarter, Embedded
For Jane and Pete, building Abide was never about business as usual. Long before remote work became standard practice, they designed the firm to be decentralized, agile, and client-first. As Jane puts it, “In the history of mankind, no client has ever said, ‘May I come to a compliance consultant’s office?'” That insight helped shape a lean, flexible operating model: the team works remotely, meets clients on-site when needed, and ensures coverage across time zones from the East to West Coasts.
By cutting back on physical overhead, Abide directs more resources where they matter: toward top-tier talent and client service. The firm has professionals who are highly credentialed former law firm partners, GCs, and seasoned compliance officers. This workforce is looking to escape the long hours and rigid structures of traditional firms. They’ve deliberately built a team of people who want meaningful work without the commute while maintaining a business model that prioritizes client value, quality, and cost efficiency.
The result is a team designed to be “plug and play,” capable of operating autonomously and collaboratively without the need for micromanagement. “Given the nature of the services we provide doesn’t leave a lot of room to hire less than seasoned pros,” adds Pete. This self-sufficiency is key to Abide’s approach, where flexibility never comes at the expense of quality or depth.
Pete is clear about their role in clients’ growth journeys: “The job is to facilitate—not impede—business growth.” That means embedding deeply into client operations and joining early-stage product development sessions, strategy meetings, and governance reviews. Whether clients are building new fintech platforms, launching PE or VC funds, or structuring non-traditional real estate investments, Abide works alongside them to ensure initiatives are backed by sound, compliant frameworks from the start.
For Jane, real compliance means understanding the business at its core. “You can’t fix the pain and likely the problem if you don’t fully understand the why,” she expresses. It’s a philosophy rooted in the belief that compliance is too nuanced for templated solutions and that lasting value is built by walking a mile in the client’s shoes.
Leadership in Practice: A Team-Centric Approach
At Abide, leadership isn’t defined by a rigid hierarchy. Both Jane and Pete carry client rosters. Jane gravitates toward a broader role, acting as an industry thought leader by speaking at conferences, staying ahead of market trends and understanding emerging challenges. Pete focuses on the internal pulse of Abide, overseeing staff and keeping the operational engine running smoothly.
Pete’s approach to leadership is grounded in active involvement. “Creating a motivated and aligned team starts with showing up,” he conveys. He leads by example, collaborating directly with his team and clients. Problem-solving becomes a shared experience where each team member’s input matters. Pete ensures his team has both autonomy and the support needed to thrive.
For both Jane and Pete, Abide’s culture is the base of its success, defined by clarity, consistency, and mutual respect. It’s a business where high standards, thoughtful decision-making, and a sense of calm are the hallmarks of their leadership style.
Shaping Expertise through Diverse Experience
Jane and Pete’s grasp of regulatory compliance and operations for financial service companies results from their extensive, hands-on careers. Over time, they’ve developed a profound understanding of the delicate interplay between business execution and regulation, shaping their approach at Abide.
Early in her career, Jane came to the important realization that flexibility is essential for success. “Firms that get in their own way can’t pivot as quickly,” she notes. Gained through in-house roles and the early days of their legacy consulting firm, this experience refined Abide’s ability to stay nimble in a fast-changing regulatory domain. Another key insight was the role of IT in compliance. Jane emphasizes that technology decisions should be client-driven, not vendor-driven, a mindset that continues to guide the company’s approach to compliance solutions.
Pete’s background in large asset management firms, including strategic roles at Bankers Trust and Deutsche Bank, provided invaluable experience. His work as Chief of Staff and Deputy COO helped him develop a keen acumen for financial services’ regulatory and operational sides. Such skills have been crucial in shaping Abide’s ability to work effectively with firms of all sizes.
Both Jane and Pete believe that one-size-fits-all solutions are not the answer. Their jobs on both the buy-side and sell-side have equipped them with subtleties of financial product sales and risk management in highly controlled settings. Pete’s comfort in juggling client-facing duties with infrastructure management has helped define Abide’s holistic approach to compliance. Their combined knowledge helps them negotiate the complexity of regulatory compliance from a pragmatic, business-oriented angle, precisely what their customers want in the evolving industry.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Compliance
Jane and Pete are focused on staying ahead of the curve, both for their clients and the industry. Pete foresees a future where compliance is more integrated and indispensable to business strategy. Treated as a reactive, back-office function, compliance is now being redefined as a proactive driver, embedded in product design, operations, marketing, and risk. That transformation is underway, and Pete sees it gaining momentum over the next decade.
While advanced tools like real-time surveillance and data-driven monitoring are reshaping how firms manage regulatory demands, Pete stresses that the core principles remain unchanged. Market shifts or political transitions may influence tone and tactics, but they don’t erase the need for sound compliance architecture. His focus and Abide’s mission are to help clients build systems that are resilient, aligned with business needs, and capable of withstanding change.
For both leaders, the goal is to redefine compliance not as a checkbox exercise but as a strategic asset that inspires investor confidence, protects reputations, and adapts alongside the financial ecosystem.
Bridging Both Sides of the Regulatory Divide
One of Pete’s defining career milestones is his rare ability to tackle both the buy and sell sides of financial services, a dual-lens that remains rare in the compliance world. That breadth of exposure has been instrumental in shaping Abide’s consultancy model, enabling the firm to serve a diverse client base with nuanced, experience-backed insight.
Together with Jane, Pete has turned that dual-market perspective into a strategic advantage. Their ability to connect the dots between operations, regulatory demands, and commercial imperatives makes their counsel not only technically sound but also operationally relevant. It’s a skill set that sets Abide apart. And one of the reasons both co-founders have been named among ‘The Most Influential People in Legal Services to Watch in 2025.’
Hard Lessons, Lasting Gains
Some challenges are loud and public. Others are quiet but critical. Jane’s came in the form of a hard-earned truth that early intervention differentiates between a manageable fix and a costly unraveling. Pete’s challenge was more seismic. He joined Lehman Brothers a year before its collapse, building out a product with global ambition. The bankruptcy shook the industry. He stayed on through the firm’s acquisition by Barclays, guiding teams and business lines through one of the most uncertain transitions in Wall Street history. It was, paradoxically, one of the most creatively rich and professionally formative periods of his career.
What neither of them expected: they were working just steps away from each other. Jane was supporting the estate post-bankruptcy; Pete was steadying the remnants of a broken firm. Over lunches, late nights, and long talks, they began mapping out something of their own. A different model. A different tone. A different future.
Maintaining Well-Being and Productivity in a Demanding Role
For Jane, managing well-being amidst a packed schedule comes down to balance. She avoids back-to-back meetings and ensures she carves out recovery time. Planning for follow-ups and rest is key to staying energized and productive.
Pete believes well-being and productivity go hand in hand. He understands his own rhythms, knowing when to work and when to pause. By maintaining structure and leaving space for reflection, Pete stays present and effective. He guards his attention, avoids distractions, and focuses on what matters. This intentional approach builds momentum that supports both his work and well-being, benefiting his clients and team.
Essential Qualities for Leadership in Legal and Compliance
In the fast-evolving legal and compliance arena, the qualities that make a successful leader go beyond technical expertise. Pete highlights that leadership success begins with integrity, the foundation of any compliance professional’s ability to influence decision-making. It is the ground of trust that allows leaders to guide organizations through complex, often ambiguous, regulatory environments. Without integrity, a leader’s advice lacks the credibility necessary for tough decisions.
Alongside integrity, judgment plays a key role. Compliance is rarely black and white. As Pete explains, leaders must assess the context, weigh risks, and balance legal requirements with business realities. The best leaders are not just skilled in regulations; they are measured, thoughtful, and equipped to explain the complexities behind their decisions in ways that empower others.
Communication is another critical skill. Compliance professionals frequently translate complex regulatory issues into actionable advice. Whether advising senior executives or guiding junior team members, the ability to communicate clearly, calmly, and credibly—especially when delivering hard messages—is indispensable.
Finally, resilience is key. Compliance professionals often find themselves in challenging positions where controls can be perceived as resistance. Leaders must have the stamina to stay steady, the humility to keep learning, and the presence to maintain consistency and clarity, particularly in moments of change.
Advice for the Next Generation
For aspiring leaders hoping to shape the future of legal and compliance, Jane offers a clear advice: “Pick an area that you really know well and don’t try to be everything to everyone.” The industry rewards depth over breadth. Technical expertise is non-negotiable, but what separates the standouts is their ability to apply that knowledge within a broader operational and commercial context.
Pete echoes the value of range but underlines the importance of staying grounded in the fundamentals. “Don’t chase perfection. Chase progress.” In a field governed by constant change, calm, curious leaders build trust, adapt quickly, speak with clarity, and leave the most lasting impact.
Pete also urges aspiring leaders to build relationships early, emphasizing that the legal and compliance field is built on trust, not just with regulators but within one’s organization and with clients. He points out that one must aim to be seen as someone who brings clarity, not just enforcement. “That comes from being consistent, thoughtful, and willing to speak up without being combative.” Jane is a master at this, Pete explains, exemplifying how the best leaders are those who build trust and bring a steady, reliable presence to the table.
They both know this well. At Abide, their leadership is marked not by flash but by substance—decades of rigor, moments of reinvention, and a commitment to elevating the standard for how compliance professionals show up and serve.
