IA Financial Crime Forum 2024

Group discount: use the promotional code GROUP for 20% discount on bookings of five or more people.

The Investment Association is pleased to invite you to the IA Financial Crime Forum 2024, on Thursday 08 February, Kindly hosted by DAC Beachcroft & in partnership with BigTXN.

Financial Crime is a complex, multi-faceted and ever evolving global issue which has become increasingly sophisticated in nature.

Whilst UK businesses, law enforcement and the Government continue to introduce numerous initiatives to work across the public/private divide and enable information sharing to facilitate the fight against financial crime, firms find that there are ever increasing demands on their resources and expectations on them to participate.

Financial crime, particularly online, is an incredibly important issue for both the IA and the industry, and we will continue supporting the sector and policymakers in navigating the substantial opportunities and challenges which lie ahead.

This event will provide individuals with the opportunity to find out more about developments in countering financial crime and ideas on mitigating the risk of financial crime, particularly regarding sanctions, anti-money laundering and fraud, with speakers from practitioners, industry and legislators.

Particularly of relevance will be the two new Acts which have just received Royal Assent: the Online Safety Act will help firms tackle fraudulent online adverts and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act which introduces a new corporate offence of failing to prevent fraud.

Join us for this topical and informative event, and make sure you are a part of the conversation!

If you are experiencing any problems with registering to our events, please message: events@theia.org

12:30-13:00 Registration, Refreshments and Networking 

13:00-13:05 Welcome

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive, The Investment Association  

13:05-13:15 Opening Remarks from the Financial Crime Committee Chair

John Clarke, UK MLRO and Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Fidelity International

13:15-13:30 The View from Westminster

Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP

13:30-14:20 Panel: The Rise of Sanctions
This panel discussion will look at sanctions end-to-end, from conception to practice. We will discuss their rapid evolution over the past decade, the trends and outlook for 2024.

Moderator: Mark Croxon, Founder - Market Structure Consultancy, Thames Bench Limited

• Haider Mannan, Founder & CEO, BIGTXN
• Ciaran Askin, Global Head of Financial Crime, MLRO, Janus Henderson Investors
• Sushma Rose, Group Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Schroders
• Gavin Proudley, Head of Third Party Risk Proposition, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance

14:20-14:40 Internal Investigations 

• David Speakman, Partner, DAC Beachcroft
• Angela Hayes, Partner, DAC Beachcroft 

14:40-15:15 Networking Break

15:15-15:45 Fireside chat with the NECC
Sal & Adrian will outline the work of the NECC to tackle all forms of financial crime and how it works with the industry. There will be case studies with practical examples, including insights into the work of the UKFIU, and how they make use of SARs received, and intelligence from all sources, including the replacement of Action Fraud. Sal will also consider money laundering through the market and work being done to identify professional enablers.

• Sal Melki, Head of Illicit Finance Threat, National Economic Crime Centre (NECC)
• Adrian Hood, Regulatory & Financial Crime Expert, The Investment Association

15:45-16:00  Sanctions Screening Masterclass for Investment Managers

Haider Mannan, Founder & CEO, BIGTXN

16:00-16:45 Panel: The New Corporate Criminal Offence of Failing to Prevent Fraud
A discussion panel considering the new corporate criminal offence implemented by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, and how this area may be implemented, with focus on the corporate defence of ‘adequate procedures’.

Moderator: Angela Hayes, Partner, DAC Beachcroft 

• Jules Colborne-Baber, Head of Investigations, Deloitte
• Alison Watson, Executive Director - Head of Financial Crime Compliance & MLRO, Federated Hermes Ltd
• Adrian Hood, Regulatory & Financial Crime Expert, The Investment Association

16:45-17:00 Closing Remarks

Adrian Hood, Regulatory & Financial Crime Expert, The Investment Association

17:00-18:00 Networking Drinks Reception

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive Officer, The Investment Association
Chris joined the IA in 2016 from TheCityUK, which he set up and ran as CEO for seven years. He sits on the Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce, the Board of EFAMA (European Fund & Asset Management Association) and is the President of IIFA (International Investment Funds Association). He is also Chairman of Just Finance Foundation. He was previously a member of the FCA’s Regulatory Decisions Committee and the FCO’s Diplomatic Excellence Panel.

John Clarke, UK MLRO and Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Fidelity International
John is the MLRO and Head of Financial Crime Compliance for Fidelity International’s regulated entities in the UK. In addition to his work with Fidelity, John is also the current Chairperson for the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group Editorial Panel representing the Investment Association on the same. John also currently chairs the Investment Association Financial Crime Committee.

Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP
Sir Stephen Timms, knighted in 2022, has been Labour Member of Parliament for East Ham since 1994, and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee since 2020.  He has been the Labour Party’s Faith Envoy since 2007, and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society since 2012.  He was a Minister in the Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown from 1998 to 2010, including serving in the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2006-7, and was Shadow Minister for Employment in 2010 to 2015.  He studied Mathematics at Cambridge University, worked in the computing industry from 1978 to 1994 and was a member of Newham Council for ten years before his election to Parliament, including serving as Leader of the Council in 1990-94.  He is one of the leaders of Plaistow Christian Fellowship.

Mark Croxon, Independent Market Structure Consultant, Thames Bench Ltd.
Mark helps financial industry clients to meet the challenges of lowering costs, improving efficiency, optimising financial resources, and creating sustainable returns. He has a particular interest in leading industry working groups of peer competitors to gain consensus and to create momentum towards creating standards of best practice and adoption of innovative solutions. After two years with larger consultancies Mark has returned to independent consulting through his own firm Thames Bench Ltd. which he established in 2018.

Mark has nearly 30 years’ experience in the financial industry having worked in derivatives, prime brokerage and clearing at JPMorgan, Dresdner Bank, Barclays, HSBC and Nomura. In these roles, he often worked on the development of new businesses such as FX Prime Brokerage, Cross-Product Margining, and OTC Derivative Intermediation. Post-financial crisis he worked closely with regulators and market infrastructure providers to develop a client clearing business at Nomura.
Before establishing himself as an independent consultant Mark spent two and a half years as European Head of Regulatory and Market Structure Strategy leading Bloomberg’s MiFID II commercial and technological programme.
Mark is a graduate of Cardiff University holding a BSc Econ (Hons) in Banking and Finance and an MSc Econ in International Economics Banking and Finance.

Ciaran Askin, Global Head of Financial Crime, MLRO, Janus Henderson Investors
Ciaran is Global Head of Financial Crime for Janus Henderson Investors and MLRO for its UK businesses. Ciaran recently joined Janus Henderson from Invesco where he was undertaking a similar role. Prior to coming into the asset management sector, Ciaran spent 17 years in law enforcement, latterly as Head of Intelligence for the UK’s National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit.

Sushma Rose, Group Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Schroders
Sushma Rose is Group Head of Financial Crime Compliance, based in London, which involves responsibility for the management of financial crime risks globally. She joined Schroders at the start of 2018. Sushma was previously a Director at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in London advising clients on both their tactical and strategic management of financial crime issues. She worked on a number of regulator appointed projects both investigative and those putting risk mitigation plans in place. Sushma also sits on the Investment Association’s Financial Crime Committee.

David Speakman, Partner, DAC Beachcroft
David specialises in all areas of employment law, with a particular interest in Investigations and Tribunal Litigation.

He has almost 20 years’ experience advising clients including investment banks, insurers, professional services firms, private equity firms, asset managers, and corporates in the property retail and hotel sectors.

David acted successfully in the important employment cases of: Dr Beatt v Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, where the Court of Appeal gave clarification on the test for a protected disclosure in whistleblowing cases; and in the EAT in Ferguson v Astrea Asset Management Ltd, where the EAT confirmed that poison pill provisions should not transfer under TUPE.

Angela Hayes, Partner, DAC Beachcroft
Angela is a financial services regulation expert with a main focus on investigations and enforcement defence but also with an advisory practice.

Angela has more than 20 years’ experience advising clients across the spectrum of financial services - banks (investment and retail), asset managers and investment funds, securities brokers, wealth advisers, insurers, and listed companies. Angela is well known for her particular expertise regarding market abuse, financial crime and regulatory issues impacting the asset management sector.

Angela’s career has included 12 years as a partner in the London offices of leading US law firms.

Angela has led many major regulatory investigation and defence projects, including coordinating cross-border multi-jurisdictional matters, involving the PRA, FCA, SFO, DOJ, SEC, NY DFS and other regulators in Europe and around the globe. These cases have covered a wide range of issues but include complex market manipulation, investment and trading errors, transaction reporting, fraud and allegations of bribery and corruption. Angela has also assisted many clients with internal investigations and dialogue with regulators, where the facts found have enabled clients to avoid regulatory enforcement action. Most recently this has included issues raised by whistleblowers and culture/conduct issues.

Angela’s advisory practice includes conduct risk mitigation, corporate governance and the senior manager and certification regime, advising on the launch of new products and new businesses (including obtaining authorisation for a new bank and a new life assurance company) and transactional support, including the acquisition of wealth and asset management businesses and Part VII transfers of insurance business.

Sal Melki, Head of Illicit Finance Threat, National Economic Crime Centre (NECC)
Sal leads on the Illicit Finance response in the National Economic Crime Centre, hosted by the National Crime Agency. In this role he focusses on building partnerships to reduce the threat; this ranges from developing the UK’s understanding of the financial architecture exploited by criminals through to building new capabilities and operational approaches to close down vulnerabilities. Before this Sal has held other leadership roles in the NCA on top of 15 years spent in policing, working across strategy, intelligence, community policing and counter terrorism.

Jules Colborne-Baber, Head of Investigations, Deloitte
Jules Colborne-Baber is Head of Investigations in Deloitte’s Forensic practice. Jules specialises in conducting economic crime and misconduct investigations and economic crime and misconduct advisory services.

Jules has led and advised on a number of cases involving corruption, sanctions, fraud, accounting irregularities and other misconduct. Jules is experienced in dealing with retained counsel, client management, other third parties and prosecutors and regulators.
Jules’ particular focus and expertise is in the financial services sector but he has also lead numerous investigations and projects in the oil and gas, automotive, and technology sectors. Jules qualified as a chartered accountant in the financial services practice of Arthur Andersen in 2001.

Alison Watson, Head of Financial Crime Compliance, MLRO, Federated Hermes Limited
Alison is the Head of Financial Crime Compliance for Federated Hermes Limited and acts as the MLRO for the 3 UK regulated entities. Alison joined Federated Hermes in 2021 having previously worked at AXA Investment Managers, State Street Global Advisors and M&G Investments. Alison sits on the Investment Association’s Financial Crime Committee and was a founding member of the Institute of Money Laundering Prevention Officers.

Adrian Hood, Regulatory & Financial Crime Expert, The Investment Association
Adrian Hood has been Regulatory Advisor at The IA, the trade association of the UK’s investment management industry, since 2006. He is also a Director on the JMLSG Board. His responsibilities include financial crime as well as market abuse, wholesale issues, FCA regulation, short selling regulation, operational risk, benchmark regulation, MiFID II and MAD II.

Prior to joining the IA he has worked both in asset management compliance and with IMRO and the FSA.

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Kindly hosted by:

DAC Beachcroft is a leading international legal business with offices across Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With global headquarters in London, we also have 10 locations in the UK. We have a strong heritage in Insurance, Health and Real Estate and operate in a wide range of other sectors, drawing on the knowledge, industry experience and commercial expertise of our experts, numbering some 2,700 worldwide.

Our experts provide advice and assistance across a wide range of investigations and prosecutions instigated by the criminal and regulatory authorities relating to business crime, money laundering, bribery and corruption, market manipulation/insider dealing. We have particular experience in acting in cross border investigations by multiple authorities in different jurisdictions. We are regularly called on by our corporate clients to advise on bribery risk under the Bribery Act 2010, specifically in relation to sensitive aspects such as extra-jurisdictional exposure and self-reporting. We also act for individuals caught up in major criminal investigations and prosecutions.