Shareholder disclosures are one of the most complex, and operationally demanding, areas of regulatory compliance. Obligations can depend on jurisdiction, instrument, issuer, ownership structure, thresholds, exemptions, deadlines and interpretation. For firms operating across markets, that complexity can quickly turn into operational risk.
For Gerry Murtagh, the challenge is understanding regulations as well as helping firms turn that complexity into a controlled, repeatable and confidence‑driven operating model.
As Head of Shareholder Disclosures Solutions at Funds‑Axis, Gerry leads the firm’s shareholder disclosures capability across Galaxy, working across regulation, technology, product strategy and client delivery.
A Career at the Intersection of Regulation and Technology
Gerry’s background brings together regulatory change, financial services, programme delivery, product development and entrepreneurship.
Before joining Funds‑Axis, he worked across roles focused on regulatory infrastructure, shareholder disclosures, position reporting, client technology and digital innovation. Over that time, he led complex regulatory and technology programmes, managed cross‑functional teams, and worked closely with financial institutions to translate regulatory obligations into practical operating models and technology solutions.
Earlier in his career, Gerry acted as Dodd‑Frank Programme Director at Royal Bank of Canada, supporting delivery of one of the most significant post‑crisis regulatory reforms affecting global markets. He also worked with Nomura on its Client Ecosystem programme, helping improve how client data, processes and technology worked together across the organisation.
A significant chapter of Gerry’s journey has been in RegTech and product building. He founded Regtick, a regulatory change and strategy platform, gaining first‑hand experience of building a SaaS product, raising investment, working with clients, and scaling a technology business. He later worked at Droit, where he was involved in position reporting and shareholder disclosure initiatives, including industry consortium activity with tier‑one global banks.
That combination of regulatory insight, product thinking and operational delivery now shapes how Gerry approaches his role at Funds‑Axis.
What Gerry Does at Funds‑Axis
Gerry leads the Shareholder Disclosures solution within Galaxy.
In his role, he works with internal teams to shape the solution, support sales and client conversations, identify emerging regulatory and market needs, and help communicate how Funds‑Axis reduces disclosure complexity while strengthening control.
Within Galaxy, the focus is on helping investment firms monitor, calculate, review and manage disclosure obligations across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory regimes, including major shareholdings, short selling, takeover dealing, issuer limits, sensitive industries and foreign direct investment rules.
These obligations are rarely driven by a single factor. The challenge is bringing together regulation, data, rule logic, workflow and evidence into something firms can trust and operate at scale.
Solving the Real Disclosure Challenge
The biggest challenge Gerry’s team helps clients solve is moving from fragmented, manual or spreadsheet‑driven processes to a structured, robust and transparent operating model for shareholder disclosures.
Within Galaxy, clients can identify potential obligations, apply the relevant rules, aggregate positions, support review and approval, generate outputs, and retain a clear audit trail of the decision‑making process.
For Gerry, confidence comes from evidence. It’s not enough to make the right decision; firms also need to demonstrate how they reached that decision, who reviewed it, what controls were applied, and whether deadlines were met. That evidence layer is central to how the Shareholder Disclosures solution is designed. This gives our clients using Galaxy a key differentiator against other products in the market, as regulators and auditors look for transparency and explainability.
Regulatory Clarity Through Practical Execution
Gerry’s team contributes to regulatory clarity by turning complex, fragmented disclosure rules into structured, understandable workflows.
Galaxy supports the full lifecycle: obligation identification, rule application, exception management, maker‑checker review, output generation and audit retention. That helps firms move from regulatory interpretation to operational execution in a controlled and repeatable way.
The result is reduced operational risk, improved transparency, and greater confidence, not just at filing time, but throughout the disclosure monitoring process.
Why Galaxy Is Different
Gerry describes Galaxy as a platform designed around the reality of regulatory operations.
Compliance teams need ownership, workflow & alerts, trusted regulatory and market data, , review controls, audit trails and the ability to evidence decisions. Galaxy brings those elements together in one platform, supported by deep regulatory expertise across Funds‑Axis.
Flexibility is also key. Galaxy can be delivered as technology, managed service or a hybrid model, allowing firms at different stages of growth to strengthen controls without over‑engineering their operating model.
Life at Funds‑Axis
Gerry describes Funds‑Axis as a highly collaborative and intellectually demanding environment.
The work brings together regulatory specialists, technologists, product experts and client teams, creating constant opportunities to learn and refine solutions. For him, the most rewarding moments come when complex ideas become clearer, client value becomes tangible, and collaboration turns strategy into delivery.
Looking Ahead
What excites Gerry most about the future of Galaxy and RegTech is the move from reactive compliance towards intelligence‑led, proactive control frameworks.
As regulatory obligations become more complex and data‑driven, firms need platforms that connect rules, data, workflow, evidence and oversight. Gerry is particularly interested in how AI, automation and smarter data processing can support earlier insight, reduced manual effort and faster value, when applied thoughtfully and with the right controls.
For Gerry, the goal is clear: help firms reduce complexity, strengthen control and manage regulatory obligations with greater confidence.
Beyond the Role
Outside of work, Gerry has a long‑standing interest in entrepreneurship, creativity and building ideas from scratch. He published his first book last year, The Lean Pivot: The Playbook for Turning Uncertainty into a High‑Growth Business, and enjoys writing, painting, cooking and learning new skills, including the saxophone.
He is also an avid cyclist, having completed the full lengths of Ireland, Portugal and the Outer Hebrides, using cycling as a way to reset and explore landscapes properly.
One Piece of Advice
The best career advice Gerry has received is based on Kouzes and Posner’s MICEE framework:
“Model the Way, Inspire Others, Challenge the Status Quo, Enable Action, Encourage the Heart.”
For Gerry, it means leading by example, creating a shared vision, challenging how things are done, help others succeed and recognise the people who make progress possible.
