If you are interested in this candidate, please contact Charlie Watson via email cwatson@cerfinancial.co.uk or call on 0207 626 6065.

00243299

PROFILE:

Proven track record in exceeding targets through effective self-motivation, engagement and leadership, coupled with the development of strong business relationships contributing to business growth, while complying with financial policies and procedures.

CAREER HISTORY:

April 2024 - Present

Investment Banking

Assistant Vice President - Financial Crime Monitoring

• Solely manage the horizon screening process on a monthly basis, by keeping fully apprised of proposed changes to legislation, directives, and guidance, via open sources (eversheds sutherland & Aperio Intelligence Financial Crime Digest) and ensuring key changes are summarised/communicated to relevant stakeholders and assist/providing guidance through to implementation.
• Provide subject-matter expertise to the business, responding to queries and being a point of reference and assist in promoting and maintaining a Financial Crime Prevention culture within the firm in line with regulatory standards and industry best practice.
• Review and provide guidance on escalations relating to instances of fraud, money laundering, PEP's, Anti-Bribery/Corruption, Counter Terrorist Financing, and potential sanctions matters.
• Conduct knowledge gap analysis and provide training/guidance to stakeholders to bridge gaps associated with financial crime.
• Detailing and summarising complex financial documentation into reports and statements tailored to a target audience.
• Identify developing themes which could have financial crime risk and assist in building control frameworks which helps in the prevention/detection and mitigation of financial crime.
• Responding to enquiries from stakeholders/ 1LoD, through a global inbox in relation to financial crime escalations/enquiries.

October 2023 – April 2024

Banking

Financial Crime Compliance Manager (advisory)

• Conduct thematic reviews of current procedures/policies, identifying patterns and themes, where the bank may fall sort of regulations requirements and then build and work with stakeholder to mitigate the risk.
• Horizon scanning: Keep up to date with the latest laws, regulations and best practice developments in respect to financial crime, assess the impact and make recommendations regarding necessary changes or enhancements (horizon scanning).
• Act as MLRO delegate, in providing and approvals/taking risk-based approach in relation to escalations of sanction, PEP & adverse media alerts.
• Act as 2nd line of defence contact point and provide advice to bank staff on AML risk management and other financial crime control matters, including handling of escalations to the Financial Crime Compliance inbox.
• Assist the DMLRO/MLRO report, for example provide statistics on the client base, new risks associated to the bank (onboarding a new PEP).
• Provide Financial Crime Compliance oversight of the Bank’s automated client on-boarding and name screening systems and liaise with the vendors as necessary.
• Build effective working relationships by providing regulatory and industry news, emerging trends, new policy direction and other communications to the business line to ensure transparency.
• Assist in the provision of financial crime prevention awareness and training to all staff.
• Assist in the collation and presentation of financial crime management information (“MI”)
• Assist in driving financial crime program enhancements to meet new legal requirements, evolving regulatory expectations, industry best practices and self-identified program needs.
• Update/review policy and procedure in line with the financial crime monitoring program.
• Responsible for the planning, leadership, innovative problem resolution, analysis, review and reporting for Enhanced Due Diligence cases
• Responsible for the development of new methods and procedures to make alert/due diligence review processing more efficient; implements recommendations for department policy changes and efficiencies; contributes to strategic planning and short-term initiatives.
• Provide Financial Crime Compliance oversight of the Bank’s automated client on-boarding and name screening systems and liaise with the vendors as necessary.
• Participate in internal, external and regulatory audits and examinations that have financial crime policy and procedure components and provide assistance for any resulting program enhancements.

April 2022 – August 2023

Investment Management

Financial Crime Prevention Associate

• Leading my own team and maintaining oversight of a CDD remediation project of relevant existing customers to ensure adequate CDD / Enhanced Due Diligence is undertaken, while conducting QA on completed files and feeding back MI to the Global head of compliance and local MLRO.
• Update/review policy and procedure in line with the financial crime monitoring program.
• Provide subject-matter expertise to the business, responding to queries and being a point of reference and assist in promoting and maintaining a Financial Crime Prevention culture within the firm in line with regulatory standards and industry best practice
• Support the development and implementation of the Financial Crime Prevention framework, associated policies, and procedures
• Liaising directly with the relevant relationship managers as part of the CDD remediation project to obtain outstanding documentation/information that is not available via public sources
• Undertake adverse news, sanctions, and politically exposed person (PEP) screening, onboarding due to diligence checks, and ongoing monitoring thus ensuring that consistent processes are followed in line with the firm’s anti-money laundering (AML) / counter-terrorist financing (CTF) standards.
• Ensure escalations for adverse news, sanctions, and PEP screening, review and assess the risk for escalations, and ensure that the appropriate course of action is taken.
• Assist with the investigation into Suspicious Activity Reports submitted by staff and prepare disclosure reports to relevant authorities, as and when required
• Ensure processes, systems and controls are in place to comply with regulatory requirements.

October 2021 – April 2022

Banking

Financial Crime Quality Assurance Analyst

• In connection with the Global Financial Crimes program - Develop mathematical or statistical theory to interpret customer KYC data and historical transaction data to group customers and non-customers into segments in order to monitor their activity in the correct thresholds
• Identify relationships and trends of historical transactional data for clustering for AML transaction monitoring
• Analyse the clusters/relationships and present the information to Senior Managers in the data visualisation tools
• Support the development of policies and procedures for AML transaction monitoring life cycle, including reviews of scenario validation, segmentation and optimisation tools.
• Support large strategic optimisation and segmentation program to enhance and tune MUFG's GFC Transaction Monitoring Program.
• Coordinate with regional Intelligence & Analytics teams to implement on the global model.
• Work collaboratively across functional teams within GFCD to ensure effective and efficient operations with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

February 2021 – October 2021

Asset Management

AML Quality Assurance Analyst

• Daily BAU consists of providing assurance to stakeholders as to whether the firm’s client on boarding files, supplied by the Investment Managers (HNW) meet the standards defined in the AML QA policies and procedures as well as complying with the firm’s risk appetite within 4-day SLA. In addition, to perform/investigate additional checks on Sanction, PEP, High-Risk country alerts using various 3rd party databases (e.g. Dow Jones, Equifax, Lexis Nexus & ID3 GB Group) and make comprehensive recommendations
• Act as a subject matter expert undertaking accurate and consistent 4-eye AML Quality Assurance reviews when required in line with internal standards and policies. Communicating errors on such files to the respective Line Teams, ensuring clear understanding of errors made and learning points.
• Develop new and revise existing policies, procedures, process maps that are well-written and are easy to follow though still accurately reflecting the proper level of details. Additionally performing ongoing management of change policy/procedure recommendations that will result in process efficiency and potential cost savings while also evaluating/attesting that policies have been adhered to, and that sound AML judgment has been applied by BAU Analysts.
• Deliver new and ongoing training to front office staff on new/updated policies and procedures to ensure consistency across the board
• Support and contribute towards a continuous improvement program of work born out of a QA testing results, assess root causes and thematic issues proposing steps to be taken to eliminate, evidencing improvements.

August 2020 – February 2021 - Contractor

Banking

KYC/AML Lead

• Identify a risk rating on all commercial/residential high-risk customers and to then capture all due diligence searches undertaken and that a comprehensive list is created outlining what steps/verification measures/information is required to ensure the bank's risk is mitigated to an acceptable level.
• Investigating all financial crime concerns including PEP/RCA hits, Sanctions alerts, links to high-risk customers & adverse media.
• Using a large variety of external software/programs to complete reviews e.g. Refinitiv world check, Equifax, CIFAS & Paragon Hybrid
• Making recommendation to senior management on what steps to take to mitigate any financial crime concerns that may arise when review customer profiles, clearly outlining concern raised within the required timeframe, data collated and recommendation as to proposed solution
• On identification of KYC requirements for each customer reviewed, ensure Remediation letter is drafted, clearly outlining their KYC requirements using the approved remediation templates.

November 2019 – May 2020

Investment Management

Compliance Assistant

• Sound understanding of all UK regulations/rule books, specifically in regard to the PRA, FCA, UK Money laundering regulations & jmlsg.
• Working with frontline staff with all anti-financial crime questions/queries regarding on boarding and on-going monitoring.
• Managing a small team of real estate investment analysts, regarding KYC/AML concerns and dealing with any positive screening hits of PEPs, sanction and adverse media.
• Working with our external compliance consultants to determine tests for the compliance monitoring program and then work with other stakeholders to ensure the firm is complying with certain standards.
• Providing Financial Crime guidance/training across the various business levels and stakeholders
• With the introduction of SM&CR, working with HR and to ensure all Seniors Managers and certified have been identified, have been made and if necessary registered to the FCA directory.
• Working with ICO in registering new entities.
• Conduct mandatory introduction compliance training to all new starters, outlining the compliance function and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders.
• Compiling data for the monthly/quarterly MI report which is presented to the management board.
• Assess compliance risk, identify root causes and developed corrective action plans to ensure effective firm-wide internal controls are in place.
• Ensure proper reporting of breaches or potential breaches (DPA, CASS, GDPR) to duly authorised enforcement agencies as appropriate and/or required.
• Attend monthly meetings with asset managers, raising any concerns from both sides and evaluating risks.

April 2019 – November 2019

Banking

Senior KYC/AML Analyst

• Managing the business group's Know Your Client process (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering process (AML) in strict compliance with all international regulations.
• Completing KYC in full at every point of the client lifecycle, including stages of Initial data collection, Customer Identification Program, Monitoring of Transaction and risk management.
• Performing the required KYC screenings on customers documenting the information obtained on the client's as required by global KYC procedures.
• Successfully working end to end on a large variety of KYC reviews for example: EDR, PR, KYC Refresher, BAU & ERC.
• Effectively conducting AML /KYC formality reports on questionable accounts and transactions.
• Performing Sanctions screening and PEPs identification, while conducting enhanced Due Diligence on a wide scope investment banking entities via Lexis-Nexis, World Check and Obis.
• Reviewing different accounts and products to verify that application data is complete and meets establishment standards in order to combat money laundering/terrorist finance.
• Review, research and make a determination of the correct risk rating (CDD & EDD) also analyse and evaluate the risk posed by the client based upon the client's business functions and its financial activity. Entity including, SPVs, CIS, Public listed, private entities etc.

May 2016 – April 2019

Banking

Customer onboarding specialist

• Managing clients’ accounts through providing a high level of service, which includes, account opening and processing, risk assessment and responding promptly to clients’ queries, evidenced by winning Best H1 Sales and Service Advisor in the branch network.
• Daily completion of work tasks with KYC/KYB data provided on computer systems. Ensure the banks quality and risk control is maintained at all times.
• Report any suspicious account opening or account transactional behaviour to the Bank’s Financial Crime Unit via the use of SAR reports whilst ensuring full adherence to AML and SAR reporting requirements.
• Maintaining a high level of attention to detail via cross checking and monitoring others in line regulatory guidelines, which has resulted in no upheld complaints.
• Ensuring all internal/external financial guidelines and procedures are adhered to through thorough CDD/KYC, proven by being 100% KYC/CDD compliant.
• Liaising with several departments such as payments, compliance, FCU & account services, in order to deliver a high-quality service while adhering to anti-money laundering legislations and complying with the bank’s KYC procedures.
• Providing regular coaching to new & existing staff to speed up training/development in line with business needs, for example customer onboarding, preforming AML checks, obtaining correct KYC/KYB.
• Launched user training document, which is now a compulsory part of the “on boarding training process” within the branch network.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

University

• 2013 – 2014: Master’s in law M. LL (Merit)
• 2010 – 2013: Law LL. B (2:2)

College

• 2008– 2010: A-Levels (4 A-Levels C and above)

Secondary School

• 2003 – 2008: GCSE’s (12 GCSEs with grade C and above, including English Language, Mathematics and IT)

References Available Upon Request

If you are interested in this candidate, please contact Charlie Watson via email cwatson@cerfinancial.co.uk or call on 0207 626 6065.

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