Globinar Update on Financial Crime and Technology

Globinar: Update on Financial Crime & Technology 

Date: Thursday 18^th February 2021

Time: 1700H East Africa Time (GMT+3) – 1.5hours / 6am PT / 8am CT / 9am ET / 2pm London

Summary: Technology and the increasing borderless world that has seen the adoption of cryptocurrencies and other fintech technologies has also facilitated globalized financial crime, creating further challenges for those charged with investigating and prosecution of such crimes. The 2015 Mbeki report estimated that Africa loses in excess of US$50B per year due to illicit financial flows.

Expert speakers:

1. Wamahiga Muhia-Chege, Financial Crime and Compliance Expert (Kenya)
2. Tim Holt Cert ED (PGCE) – Director, Serious Crime at Agencia Limited (UK)
3. Richard Wood MInstLM - Director, Justice, Policing & Security at Agencia Limited (UK)
4. Pia Vining - Senior Director of Due Diligence at TRACE International (USA)

The thematic areas of focus will be: 

1. Using technology to fight financial crime:

• Financial crime – Money Laundering (ML), Bribery and Corruption, Terrorism Financing, Trafficking (human, drugs, wildlife) et al.
• Financial fraud – identity theft, fraud
• Governance, risk & compliance – Know Your Customer (KYC), Client Due Diligence (CDD)      

     2. Opportunities in the Eastern African region

     3. Networking opportunity

Speakers Bio

Wamahiga Muhia-Chege, Financial Crime and Compliance Expert. Grace Wamahiga Chege is a governance, risk management and compliance professional offering over 10 years of progressive leadership and hands on industry experience reviewing and evaluating organizations risk, compliance, reputation and integrity performance. She has built an in-depth career experience from two of the ‘Big Four’ audit firms having worked in the capacity of an inhouse risk advisor and as a consultant in the crisis management division of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has executed projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda and Zambia. Grace is Certified as a Risk Professional by the Institute of Risk Management in the UK and as a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist. She is completing her MBA studies in Global Social Sustainable Enterprise and is a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Administration from the United States International University- Africa (USIU-A). Grace sits in the community of TED as one of the organisers of TEDx Ridgeways and is a mentor with the Global Give Back Circle (a registered Clinton Global Initiative). She also sits on the Board of Freely In Hope (a registered NGO in Kenya and Zambia) and was recently appointed a member of the Board of Trustees Risk & Compliance Committee of the Start Network (a registered charity in England and Wales).

Tim Holt Cert ED (PGCE) – Director, Serious Crime at Agencia Limited. After serving 24 years as a police officer, performing uniform, CID, and duties as a Financial Investigator, Tim joined the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) in 2004. He was one of the Regulator team responsible for the training, accreditation and monitoring of all Financial Investigators across the UK. In 2013 this became the Proceeds of Crime Centre (PoCC) of the National Crime Agency (NCA), from where he retired in 2018 to concentrate as an SME within the private sector.  Tim is now Director of Serious Crime for Agencia Consulting Ltd. In the police service Tim dealt with every facet of financial investigation, including intelligence management, cash detention, money laundering (including AML), confiscation and restraint both in the UK and overseas. He conducted many successful proactive operations. As a Regulator Tim was responsible for training, mentoring, advising and guiding FI’s on operational challenges. He also had the authority to grant and, as appropriate, remove statutory powers from Financial Investigators. Tim has over sixteen years training, assessment and regulating experience and has written, maintained, delivered and evaluated many different training courses, papers and presentations around general and financial crime and investigation, anti-money laundering, asset recovery as required. He has written and delivered bespoke courses and workshops in jurisdictions such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Kenya, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Trinidad, France and Belgium. He has also trained and presented to delegates from Vietnam, Lebanon and Turkey.  In November 2020 Tim chaired an international conference on Corporate Crime Intelligence across Southern Malaysia and he has presented at many conferences and seminars on a variety of topics including anti-money laundering, financial crime, the role of the MLRO, suspicious activity reporting, crypto currency, and many others. International conferences include presentations to senior banking and law enforcement professionals in Turkey and University programmes and asset recovery workshops in Bosnia. Tim has also presented on many occasions to accountants, lawyers and other legal professionals throughout the UK on fraud, financial crime and money laundering, AML, drugs trafficking and the effects of crime in the COVID pandemic, plus many other topics. Tim also has vast experience in many other areas of work, including the design and delivery of a bespoke investigation training package for a nationwide UK services company, bespoke training with BPP (Legal training) around proceeds of crime and financial investigation. Tim is also involved in the security supervision, liaison and control at the Glastonbury Festival. Tim is a fully qualified trainer and has been awarded a Certificate of Education (PGCE) through Greenwich University. He has also achieved the NVQ A1 Assessors qualification.

Richard Wood MInstLM - Director, Justice, Policing & Security at Agencia Limited. Richard has 30 years of professional senior management experience working within crisis torn and high-risk environments, within transitional and post conflict countries.

Richard is acknowledged within international organisations for his strategy and policy-making skills. He has mentored and coached ministers and senior personnel in management, leadership, strategy and policy development. He has demonstrated expertise in developing large teams to deliver in complex and challenging situations across several government agencies.

His fascinating career has included the following challenging roles:

• Navigation and safety officer on ships carrying highly volatile aviation fuel in the Persian Gulf
• City centre police commander covering the largest army camp in Europe
• Senior Investigating Officer managing a team investigating child murders
• Director of Detective Training (including N Ireland) managing 1300 personnel 
• Counter terrorism contingency planner with the UK Home Office, testing Cabinet Office responses
• International Development Director Working with rule of law transforming organisations, leaders and managers in UK, Turkey, India, Jamaica, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Croatia, Balkans, Kenya, Rwanda and Sudan
• Diplomat and Head of Rule of Law for the EUs external action service in the Balkans working with Ministers and Policy Makers to reach EU benchmarks. Managing donor and policy coordination (@50 million Euros annually) with a focus on recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force, Moneyval and the EU, countering corruption and challenging illicit cash flows
• Currently non-executive Director with Agencia, a family owned and international company transforming organisations to beat global challenges

Pia Vining - Senior Director of Due Diligence at TRACE International. As Senior Director of Due Diligence at TRACE, Ms. Vining assists multinational companies with selecting and executing the appropriate due diligence solution. Her team of multilingual due diligence analysts and lawyers has completed reviews on thousands of commercial intermediaries in most countries and across all industries. She helps develop customized, best practices third party management programs for TRACE members and customers. Prior to joining TRACE, Ms. Vining was a litigation specialist in the tax department of Miller & Chevalier. She graduated from the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law, and holds an LL.M. degree from The George Washington University Law School. She speaks Finnish and Swedish. Ms. Vining is a member of the New York bar association.

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