Previous Engagements and Experiences

Chief of Internal Audit for Dubai World Group, the holding company that manages a number of world-class companies such as DP World-UAE Region, Economic Zones World (EZW), Dry Docks World, Nakheel and Istithmar, from August 2005 until October 2014. In this role, he reported initially to the Chairman and then directly to the Audit and Risk Committee of Dubai World on Audit & Fraud related issues covering Dubai World. During his tenure beside Auditing, as a Certified Fraud Examiner he led around 500 fraud cases dealing with different agencies, including special cases in USA and Interpol.

Dubai Aluminum Company (DUBAL) heading various Departments (IT, Quality, Human Recourses).  He was involved in Quality Assurance, developing and maintaining ISO standards and certifications and the application for the Dubai Quality Award and chairing the DUBAL Suggestion Program. While serving as the Manager of Organization Development, Abdulqader was responsible for Recruitment and Training and Succession Planning.

Noteworthy Achievements

• Winner of the prestigious Kano Medal Excellence Catalyst for the year 2011 and Ideas UK Fellowship Award 2012.
• Founder of Ideas Arabia and assessor for Ideas America.
• First UAE National recipient of the prestigious Wilfred Thesiger Award, where master’s degree Scholarship was awarded to him.
• Member of the Jury for the Dubai Quality Award and SKEA, Shaikh Khalifa Excellent Award.
• Awarded the Qualification in Internal Audit Leadership (QIAL) in 2014, which falls under the umbrella of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
• Certified Fraud Examiner from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in the USA and has a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) from IIA

Abdulqader holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering Technology from Arizona State University, U.S.A. and a Master of Science in Technology Management from Stirling University, Scotland, U.K. He has successfully completed “The International General Management Program for Executive Development” conducted by International Institute of Management Development (IMD), Switzerland.

Dr. Jaap Kalkman is Group Chief Investment Officer at Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ), focusing on managing ADQ’s portfolio in Utilities, Aviation, Logistics, Healthcare, Pharma, Media, Tourism, Real Estate, Manufacturing, Technology and Financial Services. He joined ADQ in April 2019.
Before that, Jaap was Managing Partner and Global Head of the Energy & Utilities Practice at Arthur D. Little, the world’s first management consulting firm. Jaap has more than 25 years of Consulting and Private Equity experience in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Jaap obtained his masters (1989) and PhD (1993) in Physics and Mathematics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After obtaining his PhD, he worked as postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Jaap started his consulting career in 1994 with McKinsey & Company in Amsterdam, where he became partner in 2000, after which he worked in Asia and the Middle East, based out of Manila, Singapore, Bahrain and Dubai.

From mid-2007 until early 2011, Jaap worked at Arcapita Bank, where he was Head of Infrastructure Investments for Asia and the Middle East. During that time, Jaap made the firm’s first investment into China in renewables and invested in infrastructure assets in the GCC.
Jaap lives with his wife, son and two daughters in the UAE.

Jenitha John is a seasoned executive with more than 28 years of corporate experience in diverse industries traversing the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. For the past 17 years, she paralleled her executive role by having served as a non-executive director of both public and private sector entities. She has served as the Chief Audit Executive in many major companies in South Africa. She is currently providing independent consulting services globally and was recently appointed to the Global GRI’s Due Process Oversight Committee for Sustainability Standards.

She was the 2020-2021 Global Chairman on the Global Board of Directors of the Institute of Internal Auditors (head office based in Florida, USA) serving over 200000 members in over 170 countries.

She has addressed multinational conferences (as an executive and as a non-executive) across the world on varied topics ranging from corporate governance, risk management, compliance, women in leadership, the impact of AI and robotics on industries, emerging issues in the financial services industry, the value of key performance indicators etc.

She is also active in many forums as an ambassador of developing young minds and talent. She actively participates in mentoring circles, panel discussions and networking sessions around the world. She is a Chartered Accountant, a Chartered Director, a Certified Internal Auditor, holds a QIAL and is a Harvard business school Alumni.

She is happily married and has two daughters aged 21 and 15 and a Maltese poodle – “all of which are her tension breakers”

Richard F. Chambers, CIA, CRMA, and CFE is founder of The Audit Trail Academy and serves as Senior Internal Audit Advisor for AuditBoard – the leading cloud-based platform transforming how enterprises manage risk. Chambers also serves as a non-executive director on the Board of Directors of SWAP Internal Audit Services in the UK, the overseas Dean of China’s Nanjing Audit University, and on UNICEF’s Audit Advisory Committee.

Prior to his retirement in 2021, Chambers served for more than 12 years as president and CEO of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the global professional association and standard-setting body for internal auditors. He has more than four decades of internal audit experience including service as national practice leader in Internal Audit Advisory Services at PwC; inspector general of the U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority; deputy inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service; and director of the U.S. Army Worldwide Internal Review Organization at the Pentagon.

Chambers is a globally recognized blogger and an award-winning author, writing The Speed of Risk: Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail, 2^nd Edition (2019), Trusted Advisors: Key Attributes of Outstanding Internal Auditors (2017); and Lessons Learned on the Audit Trail (2014). His fourth book, Agents of Change: Internal Auditors in an Era of Disruption was released in March 2021.

Fene Osakwe is an award winning Technology professional, writer and Forbes published author. His core competence is in Cyber security, IT Governance, IT Strategy, Risk Management, and Sarbanes–Oxley implementations. Fene has consulted for several Financial Institutions, Telecoms and FinTech companies, state governments and some Universities in these areas, holding over 10 internationally recognized professional IT Certifications.

He started his cyber security career as a penetration tester with Deloitte over a decade ago and has had a very fast career progression into executive management across 3 multinationals in less than 10 years, from graduating from college. He has spoken at over 43 international conferences and has won several awards locally and internationally. He was recently recognized by Hiedens International Magazine as the most sought-after cybersecurity and tech governance advisor in Africa.

In 2021, Dr Fene was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration (Leadership and innovation) from the Swiss School of Business Geneva for his exceptional leadership skills and continuous innovation. 

He mentors hundreds of career professionals with a mission to help career professional rise from fresh graduates to executive management in less than 10 years, like he did. He recently published his first book on climbing the corporate ladder which is an AMAZON best seller.

In June 2022, Dr Fene was invited into the exclusive Forbes Technology council – an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives. Making him one of the few persons to make the Tech Council in their 30’s.

He is an advisory board member on several boards within and outside Africa.

Karem has more than 28 years of management and internal audit experience in various industries that enabled him to assume internal audit executive leadership roles in several leading companies in the Middle East region. He also assumed various board member and audit committee roles for several large organizations.

Karem holds an MBA degree with emphasis in Industrial and Manufacturing Leadership.  His earlier education includes a Bachelor in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut. Also, Mr. Obeid attained several related professional certifications like CIA, CPA, CCSA, CISA and CRMA.

Karem held several IIA board and volunteer leadership positions for consecutive years which include Executive Committee Member (Vice – Chairman, Global Services) from 2016 – 2019 (Term ends July) and  Member of the Board (Director-at-Large) 2013 – 2016 in the Institute of Internal Auditors , Orlando USA. He was the first from the MENA region to be elected as a member of the IIA Global board. Furthermore, he is currently an Executive Committee member of IIA – UAE.

He is also has been frequently invited to speak in local and international conferences across the globe and has contributed to several publications related to the profession.

Sultaneh Naeem is the founder and CEO of TWIG Professional & Management Consultancy. The company was founded based on her vision to unlock and nurture the potential for excellence, quality, mastery, and success. She is a thought leader as well as a seasoned expert in the field of quantum leadership, mind training, executive and personal coaching, and family business. Sultaneh Naeem has worked extensively with C-level roles in several leading companies in the Middle East and globally. In addition, she has served as a mediator for businesses, counsels, and meetings. Despite her focus on leadership, Sultaneh Naeem has also embarked on supporting individuals under personal circumstances and business concerns to realize their authentic vision and mission.

As the founder of TWIG Consultancy, Sultaneh Naeem has designed a unique method of mind training based on the understanding of the core principles of the mind. Such a method has provided both individuals and companies with an environment of growth, unlimited potential, and affluence. The empowerment the services at TWIG provide brings a remarkable transformation with tangible outcomes.

As an active advocate of the profession and through her expertise, she has been instrumental in supporting leadership on initiatives in the Middle East and Africa Region. Sultaneh Naeem has also been frequently invited to speak in local and global conferences where she emphasized the importance of following a journey of quality, mastery, power, and impact.

Tony Douglas was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group in September 2017 and joins the business on 1 January 2018.

He has nearly 20 years of international leadership experience in transportation, infrastructure, and government sectors. He joins Etihad Aviation Group from the UK’s Ministry of Defence, where he served as CEO of the Defence Equipment and Support department, responsible for procuring and supporting all the equipment and services for the British Armed Forces, managing a budget of US $20 billion a year.

Previously, he held senior leadership positions in the UAE, most notably as CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Company and Abu Dhabi Ports Company, where he was responsible for the successful delivery of Khalifa Port.

In the UK, he held senior positions with airport operator British Airports Authority (BAA), and Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke. His roles under BAA included Managing Director of Heathrow Terminal 5 project, Group Supply Chain Director, Group Technical Director, and CEO of Heathrow Airport.

Tony holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Lancaster in the UK.

Dabeer is a Partner in the ‘Risk’ practice of PwC Middle East. He has 22 years of experience in internal audit, risk management, compliance, corporate governance and technology risk advisory.

He has been helping clients with their assurance requirements over technology and data. He also been instrumental in driving the digitization and data analytics initiatives within internal audit, risk and compliance.

Dabeer has been member and chair of various Audit Committees as well as served on Investment and Executive Committees.

Ziad Zogheib is a Partner with PwC

Middle East and has been with the firm for more than 18 years.

Ziad is currently leading several technology, security and privacy related projects, including information security implementations, IT governance framework designs, data privacy assessments, and IT audits for clients in various industries.

Ziad has also contributed significantly to driving technology assurance and data analytics services to clients and provides training to financial services and other corporate personnel on the application of International Financial Reporting Standards, International Internal Audit Standards, IT Audit and Fraud

Sunil Edwards is the Group Head of Internal Audit at the Bank of Sharjah and has been instrumental in setting up the independent audit function within the bank. 

He possesses the following qualifications: 

• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA);
• Certified Risk Management Specialist (CRMA);
• CAMS (Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
• MBA (Finance)
• Certification in International Relations from the London School of Economics
• Fintech course from Harvard University
• Organisational Design for Digital Transformation, MIT
• Mastering Board Governance Program, IMD, Switzerland

Prior to the Bank of Sharjah, he has worked extensively in the Middle East with experience with large regional and local banks such as Ahli Bank-Oman, part of the AUB Bahrain group, Bank Muscat and Bank Sohar in Oman. He also worked as a Consultant with Grant Thornton in Oman.

His roles include heading the Audit and Risk Control and supervision of audit teams across different verticals.

The Group Head of Internal Audit at Bank of Sharjah is the current Vice Chairman of the UAE Banker’s Federation Audit Committee and a member of the UAE IAA CAE Majilis.

Mr. Edwards was a speaker at the November 2018 ACAMS MENA Conference representing Bank of Sharjah.

Fadi Sidani is the Managing Partner of Governance Dynamics and also the Group Chief Internal Audit Officer at Beeah. Prior to establishing Governance Dynamics in 2018, Fadi founded and was the managing partner of the Risk Advisory Practice for Deloitte, Middle East. Fadi also set up the Risk Advisory Practice at Arthur Andersen in the UAE before joining Deloitte in 2002. His geographical coverage included the whole Middle East including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait among others. Fadi is also the authorized trainer, through Governance Dynamics, of the Governance, Risk and Compliance Professional (GRCP) certificate. His experience spans over Audit and Consulting providing various fit for purpose solutions, including Financial and Internal Audits, Business Restructuring, Governance including Board Advisory, Risk Management, Compliance, Valuations, Due Diligence among others.

Michael J. Fucilli (CIA, QIAL, CRMA, CGAP, CFE), is the CAE for a large Public Sector company with Revenues in excess of $15 billion. Mike has over 35 years of internal auditing experience that includes Financial Services, Public Sector, Inventory Management, Technology & SOX Reporting. Mike has an audit staff of 85 professionals and is on the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Research Foundation Board of Directors. He was recently on the IIA North American Board and Global Board. Mike is also an Adjunct Professor for Pace University where he teaches the IIA Learning System for the Certified Internal Auditor Exam.

Eisa is the Director of Internal Audit at the Ministry of Education. Previously he was in ADNOC group for 8 years of experience in the field of internal auditing.  

Eisa has a master degree in audit management and consultancy. He is also a CIA & a CFE certified professional. 

Mr. Aldhaheri was an advocate of the Internal Audit profession during his years in ADNOC and was responsible for spreading awareness during the annual internal audit month.

Giving Eisa’s background, experience and career progression Mr. Aldhaheri would have many insights that would relate to up and coming internal auditors, the requirements and expectations of future auditors.

Currently, Dr. Albalooshi is the CEO of Smarteam Consultancy, Chairman of Board of Directors of Bahrain Internal Auditors Association, Chairman of Board of Directors of InvesTrade Company, Expert Member of the Board Audit Committee of Aluminum Bahrain Company (Alba), Advisor to the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) – Bahrain on part-time basis and Advisor to the Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance (BIBF), a faculty member of Price Waterhouse Cooper’s Training Academy ME, and a Certified Trainer with Bahrain Institute for Public Administration (BIPA); Bahrain Institute for Political Development; Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance (BIBF) , and NAZAHA Training Centre in Saudi Arabia. In addition, he is a member of the Professional Advisory Committee in the Accounting Department of the School of Business Administration in the University of Bahrain, and a member of the Audit and Internal Controls Advisory Committee at BIBF.

Dr. Albalooshi, used to be a Board Member of Bahrain Telecommunications Company Group and Chairman of its Audit Committee; Board Member of Dhiraagu Telecommunication Company- Maldives and Chairman of its Audit Committee; Board Member of Umniah Telecommunication Company- Jordan and Chairman of its Audit Committee; Board Member of Sabafon Telecommunication Company- Yemen and a member of its Executive Committee; Board member of Sure Telecom Group- Guernsey and member of its Audit Committee. Board Member of Ibdar Bank- Bahrain and Chairman of its Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee; and finally, member of Audit Committee of Gulf Air, Bahrain Airport Company and Gulf Aviation Academy.

Lara has over 19 years of experience in delivering an array of Internal Audit, Corporate Governance, Enterprise Risk Management & Compliance services to prominent local and regional organizations.

She has led numerous strategic risk assurance projects which focused on delivering tangible value to the business, by empowering key stakeholders with the right insights and tools to manage critical risks, enhance performance and achieve targets, while establishing a corporate culture of accountability and resilience.
Lara’s experience spans across various industry sectors, including Government & Public Sector, Oil & Gas, Power & Utility, Real Estate, Retail & Manufacturing, etc.
She also focuses on creating Leadership & Development programs within the Risk Assurance domain, that offers opportunities for talent upskilling, mentoring and networking.

Lara is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and is an ISO 9001 Certified Auditor.

Patricia Kordesch has more than 20 years leadership experience across the second and third lines of defence, spanning the Financial Industry, Hospitality Industry and the Public Sector.

Patricia built audit functions, defined risk-based audit strategies and supported the organizations’ leadership through strategic consulting engagements. Her special focus has been on people by promoting talent, mentoring women, and fostering collaboration. She is engaged in industry and regulatory dialogue, and provides training.

Having started her career as private banker, her current role is Head of Department at the FIU Germany.

An entrepreneur and an award-winning helmsman of Beinex Consulting – the group constituting six firms spread across three continents – Indumon Das has end-to-end experience in architecting, guiding, leading, and implementing solutions in Analytics, AI, and Machine Learning for the spheres of GRC, Risk & Audit Transformation as well as Digital Transformation.

He is a product champion for Auraa – Augmented Risk and Audit Analytics – a unique single platform solution for Integrated Risk Management, Governance, Audit, Compliance, and Analytics functions that streamlines risk and audit verticals for enterprises worldwide.

A thought leader who regularly interacts and inspires the next generation of promising entrepreneurs and problem solvers, Indumon is a regular invitee to premier industry-defining forums marking tectonic shifts in times. He finds himself deeply engaged in productive conversations in those arenas with visionaries who strive for permanent positive change.

After qualifying with Arthur Andersen and spending several years in their consulting practice, Paul went on to found and grow a very successful audit technology software company which was purchased by a UK PLC in 2018.  This has led Paul to work with audit teams in every corner of the planet and from virtually every industry.  It is with what is now over 20 years’ experience in the field of Audit Management Software that Paul spends time around the world speaking on the role of technology in this arena, as well as leading his latest venture K10 Vision which has been formed to bring the very latest technologies to the desktops and tablets of auditors worldwide.

Mr. Mohamed Yehia brings more than 23 years of professional experience in internal and external auditing. Before joining Banque Misr, Mr. Yehia was the Chief Internal Auditor and the Audit and Risk Review Division Head at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank – Egypt. Having displayed continuous efforts and success, he was assigned additional responsibilities and chaired the Board of Directors of the ADIB “End of Service Fund”.

Before serving at ADIB, Mr. Mohamed has joined KPMG-Hazem Hassan as a Senior Audit Manager (Financial Sector and Contracting). He has demonstrated significant professional experience working for various prominent institutions.

He has also strengthened his professional development through continuous academic and professional training. He is a CPA, CIA, CISA, CFIP & MBA holder. Further, his expertise spans over different segments, including auditing Financial Statements, Fraud Investigations, Cross-Border Audit Reviews, Quality Assurance, IT, Information Security, Corporate and Retail Credit Risk, Operations, Subsidiaries, Compliance, and Corporate Governance, in addition to conducting Financial Due Diligence (Valuation) for Financial Institutions for Mergers and Acquisitions. He has a well-established track record of experience in strengthening the Corporate Internal Control Systems, Risk Management Framework, and Corporate Governance.

Paritosh is the lead partner at KPMG Lower Gulf for any offerings relating to Blockchain technology solutions to clients in the Lower Gulf.  Prior to this, he held a similar role with KPMG in Canada where he was involved in discussions and provision of services to clients on how blockchain technology could impact them, positioning applicable use cases for major clients including consortiums, providing overview of governance structures.  He ws also responsible for liaising with our key alliances, such as IBM , Microsoft and other technology firms to assess potential collaboration for blockchain projects with clients.   Paritosh also used to sit on the Ontario Securities Commission’s FinTech Advisory Committee.

Paritosh was also instrumental in driving acceptance of crypto related activities in the Canadian firm.  Paritosh was the lead partner on one of the public listed crypto engagements, one of the first to be accepted by any big four in Canada.  He was also key in KPMG being appointed as a technical advisor by one of the Canadian regulators in the industry.  He also sat on the CPA Canada Task force for crypto related activities.

Paritosh has experience in servicing large financial institutions globally. He is also an audit partner in Financial Services and is spearheading audits of some large banks in the UAE.   He was also one of the engagement partners on Canada’s five largest financial institutions and has been very involved in some of the challenges and issues facing the financial services industry.  Paritosh’ s clients include large Banks, including Schedule 1, 2 and 3 banks in Canada and Banks abroad.  His experience includes personal and commercial banking, credit risk and wealth management.  He has also been involved with the Bank’s securities offerings.  Paritosh has also been previously involved with the audit of Canadian-based custodian, CIBC Mellon Trust Company, and also with the audit of Canada’s primary securities clearing agency, Canadian Depository for Securities Limited.

Paritosh has years of experience with investment funds, including Canadian reporting issuer funds, in particular exchange traded funds, pooled funds, hedge funds, U.S. and offshore hedge funds and private equity funds.

Paritosh is also the Audit Innovation Leader.  The role includes keeping abreast of new technologies, understanding the impacts they are having on our clients, including regulatory, and the impact they would have on the audit and accounting profession.Paritosh is our National Leader for Blockchain.  His role includes overseeing all functions at the firm, including risk and management consulting, audit and tax, with respect to the impact the technology has on our clients.  He is also an Audit Partner in KPMG’s Financial Services Practice and the Audit Innovation Leader for the Lower Gulf, and specializes in banking and asset management, serving a wide range of clients.  He was previously a Partner with KPMG in Canada, where he held similar roles, including National Leader for Blockchain.   He specialized in banking and asset management, serving a wide range of clients from a large Schedule 1 bank in Canada to trust companies, fintech companies, hedge and mutual funds. Paritosh joined KPMG in Canada in 2004 and was previously with KPMG in Zambia.

Nagaraj is a Director with KPMG with 17 + years of work experience, Nagaraj specializes in IPO Readiness and getting companies/ organizations IPO Ready, Business continuity Management (BCM), Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), internal Controls and, Contractual Risk Management. He has lead teams conducting end to end IPO readiness assessments, supporting entities in getting IPO ready as per SCA, DFM and ADX mandates, Policies and Procedures, ERM, risk assessment (RA), risk governance, risk charter, risk management policies and procedures , ERM framework, tolerance limits, ERM reporting, setting up ERM committee and metric based reporting of risks, He leads the ERM and BCM solution for KPMG Lower Gulf.

• Nagaraj has experience of working with all major sectors including but not limited to Oil & Gas, Travel & Tourism , Construction & Real Estate, Financial Services, Retail, Public Sector, Education, Sovereign funds, etc.
• Nagaraj is currently leading as Engagement Director for IPO Readiness Assessment and development of policies and procedures for Lulu International Holding Company in line with SCA Requirements. The scope of work includes but not limited to financial reporting, corporate governance, policies and procedures, business continuity management and ESG. Prior to the engagement, he lead the IPO readiness assessment for the LuLu group.
• Nagaraj lead the engagement for getting Abu Dhabi Ports to get IPO ready for governance, enterprise risk management and compliance workstreams. The scope of the engagement also included re-design of the governance structure, board audit committee mandates. Management committee mandates, identifying key risks to AD Ports and preparation of policies and procedures.
• Nagaraj was the lead on conducting end to end IPO readiness assessment for Fiveholdings. The scope of work included 15 workstreams including Corporate Governance, ERM , BCM , Taxation, ESG , Financial Reporting , Information Technology, Internal Controls and Polices and Procedures.
• Nagaraj is a ISO 31000 : 2018 certificated risk professional. Has extensive experience in implementing Enterprise Risk Management. frameworks based on ISO 31000 : 2018, COSO and KPMG Enterprise Risk Management framework. Nagaraj specializes.

• Certified Analytics and Business Intelligence professional with 10+ years of  experience in designing and implementing enterprise-scale Analytics solutions, across Billion $ Business houses.
• Worked with several leading brands in the Middle East to setup Audit and Risk Analytics practices, tailor made for the organization’s Assurance needs.
• A regular speaker and seasoned trainer in the space of Audit and Risk Analytics.
• Experienced in deploying global BI solutions in Power BI across multiple Business conglomerates.
• Implemented enterprise BI and Analytics solutions for industry leading brands p across domains including Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit and Supply Chain & Logistics
• Have implemented fully automated BI solutions and advanced analytics solutions including Predictive Modelling and Digital Boardroom solutions
• Specialised in comprehensive project management – requirement gathering, data modelling, product design, dashboard development and final implementation
• Expert in designing and delivering customised Power BI trainings to catalyse enterprise BI adoption
• Trained more than 200 users in using Data Analytics and Business Intelligence to achieve Audit Analytics and Continuous Audit
• Seasoned professional in all phases of BI system development life cycle: from business analysis to data warehouse (DW) development and complete corporate performance management system implementation.

Nipun is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) leader of the financial crime and regulatory advisory practice at Protiviti. He has nearly two decades of professional services experience. In his current role, he focuses on helping leading regional and global financial services firms meet their regulatory compliance requirements related to money laundering, sanctions, and fraud through review, recommendations and remediation of their financial crime frameworks, as well as implementation of models / systems.

He also works with central banks and other regulators in helping define new frameworks aimed at regulating the growth and stability of the financial services sector. This includes development of regulatory frameworks, implementation of supervision mechanisms, set up of fintech office, designing payment system, acting as a Monitor, and so on.

Nipun has hosted events and is often invited to speak on regulatory and financial crime matters. He regularly publishes on current regulatory and compliance topics.
Nipun is excited to be at the forefront of disruptive changes defining the role that digital techniques play in financial services and their supervision. He is helping deploy emerging solutions utilising data science, automation and machine learning/AI to focus efforts at the high-risk areas and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of compliance controls.

Firas has over 20 years of audit and business advisory experience. Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a member in the Institute of Internal Auditors and in the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.

Relevant Experience:

• Firas has worked extensively in the development, design, and had led a range of risk advisory services to clients in the UAE with primary focus on Government and State Owned Entities. The scope of services provided ranges from Internal Audit Advisory work related to setting up internal audit departments, complete outsourcing and co-sourcing with in-house internal audit departments and other Business Control and Enterprise Risk Solutions.
• He has managed a portfolio of finance process outsourcing contracts with clients in various industries including: Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Media and Trading. Tasks included the following:
• Supervision of the engagement personnel,
• Proper understanding of the internal   controls implemented by the client and identifying the related risks and weaknesses, to help in developing internal policies and procedures to mitigate the identified risks.

Siddharth is a Partner in the Advisory practice of KPMG Lower Gulf with a particular focus on the consumer markets, retail, ecommerce, hospitality, logistics, media and IT/ITS sectors. His current leadership role entails assisting clients in their risk management and internal control assessment initiatives. Siddharth has been with KPMG for over 14 years and has over 20 years of overall work experience.  He is a Chartered Accountant from India as well has done his CPA from USA.

His clients have included Unilever, Castrol, Colgate, Novartis, Emaar, RTA, Union Coop, Miral, Meeras, Reliance Retail, Shoppers Stop, Flipkart, Ebay, Blue Dart Express, Aramex, Mattel Toys, Walt Disney, Sony Television, Hexaware Technologies, WNS Holdings, Dubai Tourism, Bateel, Cravia, Agthia Group, ESI, Strata, ITC, ADNOC, Emirates Steel etc.

Representative Client Experience

• Siddharth leads multiple engagements for clients in Internal Audit, Model Business Processes, Enterprise Risk Management, ICOFR, Process reengineering, COSO implementation and other Risk Advisory services.
• Siddharth’s portfolio of clients in UAE includes EMAAR (Enterprise Risk Management across hospitality, malls and properties), Meraas Holding & Miral (Standard Operating Procedures), Bateel (Risk Assessment, Internal Audit, Delegation of Authority), Union Coop & Planet Pharmacies (Internal Audit), Intigral (ICOFR implementation), DTCM (ERM), ADNOC, Agthia, NPCC, Strata, Emirates Steel (COSO implementation, SOPs), Modern Bakery (IA, DOA & SOPs), Novartis, Colgate (Dealer reviews) etc.
• Siddharth has worked expensively in rolling out the legal compliance solution in India and is leading the same in UAE.

Anand is a Senior Manager in the Financial Services- Risk Advisory practise of Protiviti. Anand has 10 years of experience with subject matter expertise over Regulatory Compliance, Conduct and Integrity Risk, Fraud Risk Management, Compliance Technology assessments, AML/KYC program reviews and implementation. Previous to Protiviti, Anand had worked with Financial Services Risk Advisory practice of PwC, EY and has delivered engagements in APAC, India and Middle East with special focus on Regulatory Compliance and Financial Crime Compliance.

• Developed AML Customer Risk Rating Model for multiple banks and exchange houses in GCC.
• Appointed as a monitor by a leading central bank (FS regulator) to oversee multi-year FCC transformation exercise at a GCC bank. Performed FCA (UK) section 166 SME review for a large UK bank’s operations in 7 geographies in India and GCC.
• Developed compliance policy, regulatory repository and compliance monitoring program for a financial free zone in Middle East
• Performed sectoral review pertaining to financial crime risks emerging out of a large financial free zone in Middle East. (In the wake of FATF onsite evaluation).
• Performed multiple conduct and integrity (insider trading, bribery & corruption, whistleblowing allegations, etc.) related proactive assessments as well as reactive investigations across financial services organizations.
• Developed Compliance Target Operating Model for a large bank in Qatar.
• Performed AML & Sanctions framework review for a bank based out of Hong Kong..