UK & Ireland Chapter

UK & Ireland Chapter

OUR MISSION

To create an innovative hub for internal (ACFCS UK&IRE Chapter members and other Chapters) and external (government, regulators and enforcement bodies) stakeholders to share local knowledge, network and learn.

OUR VISION

To create a safe, open and inclusive environment that fosters innovation and helps its members to better prevent Financial Economic Crime.

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Fred McDowell

Co-Chair

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Fred McDowell (Co-Chair) has over 30 years’ experience working in the banking sector, most recently holding senior AML roles within the AIB Group and Citi Bank, focusing on KYC / Due Diligence reviews for clients exhibiting higher risk features. Across his career he has undertaken roles within Corporate and Retail Banking, Marketing Manager, Branch Management and was a MLRO for 8 years in a Regulatory Compliance function. This broad spectrum of roles gives Fred an invaluable depth of practical / operational experience. Fred holds an ICA Diploma in Anti Money Laundering, a Financial Services Operations Diploma, Irish Management Institute in Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland.

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Joanne Priestley

Co-Chair

Owen Marumba Headshot

Owen Marumba

Programming Director

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Owen Marumba (Programming Director) has been involved in AML since 2015, working in retail, commercial and corporate for large banking groups. Has worked as a Financial Intelligence Officer for the Police dealing with disseminating intelligence submitted through SARs from regulated entities to local enforcement teams to advance, initiate or assist in an investigation. Owen has attained a Master degree in Financial Investigations, is a Certified Transaction Monitoring Associate (CTMA) with ACAMS. He currently works as a Customer Experience Specialist for a currency exchange company.

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Greg Poulter

Events Coordinator

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Greg Poulter (Events Coordinator) took the opportunity presented by the Coronavirus pandemic to transition from a career in civil engineering and represents a new wave of compliance specialists. Currently the Head of Business Operations at Claydon Partners, a UK licensed FOREX brokerage, and Head of Compliance for a fintech start-up.

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Natalia Gburzynska

Communications Director

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Laura Yungmeyer

Membership Director - UK

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Laura Yungmeyer (Membership Director – UK) is head of marketing at TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence company that provides anti-fraud and financial crime solutions for digital assets. Prior to joining TRM, Laura led marketing globally for the Risk & Compliance division at Dow Jones, where she oversaw customer acquisition and expansion campaigns to support 21 consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue growth. Prior to her six-year tenure at Dow Jones, Laura worked in marketing and communications for Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the private fundraising partner of Grand Teton National Park based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

A U.S. native, Laura has lived in London since 2017. She has a degree in political science from Washington & Lee University.

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Katherine Gormley

Co-Secretary

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Katherine Gormley (Co-Secretary) is Principal Solutions Engineer at Resistant AI, a fast-growing scale-up using state of the art machine-learning techniques to help prevent financial crime. Kathy has over 8 years’ experience in RegTech and consulting, working closely with financial institutions to deploy innovative AML, Fraud and KYC solutions. An Ireland native, Kathy has lived in London since 2013. Kathy has a degree in Business and Economics from Trinity College Dublin, holds a Diploma in International Money Laundering with the ICA and is an ACAMS certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist. Kathy is also a certified Agile Project Management Practitioner.

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Emma Rachel Hill

Co-Secretary

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Emma Rachel Hill (Co-Secretary) is an Analyst at Citi, having recently entered the private sector following 15 years working in law enforcement, most notably in International Liaison and Extradition. Emma has extensive experience in assisting investigators with requesting and obtaining intelligence and evidence internationally and across all crime types, in addition to supporting officers with extradition requests. She is a Certified Financial Crime Specialist (ACFCS) and maintains an expansive network of contacts across the globe.

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Sally Lomas

Treasurer

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Sally Lomas (Treasurer) is currently Regulatory Expertise SME for EFI Limited which specialises in Financial Crime prevention. She holds the ICA advanced Diploma in Financial Crime, and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) professional qualifications. Her career spans in excess of 30 years and evolved from being a qualified accountant, to Compliance and now to Financial Crime Prevention Professional. She has worked in the wider compliance arena but has an in-depth knowledge of Anti-Money Laundering in particular. Sally has worked mainly in the Banking industry and Financial Services. She worked for HSBC for a significant period and at a number of other Financial Institutions.

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Aidan Larkin

Board Advisor

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Aidan Larkin (Board Advisor) is the CEO and Co-Founder of fintech start-up Asset Reality. Asset Reality investigates crypto fraud, manages and realises seized assets for public and private sector clients. A former criminal tax inspector for HM Revenue & Customs and experienced Seized Asset Manager, Aidan was the world’s first seized crypto auctioneer. He also acts as a consultant for the UNODC, government agencies and NGO’s to increase effectiveness in Asset Recovery building infrastructure around seized asset enforcement helping governments shape legislation, policies and practices.

Jayne Newton Headshot

Jayne Newton

Chapter Advisor

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Francisco Mainez

Chapter Advisor

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

See What Certified Financial Crime Specialists Are Saying

"The CFCS tests the skills necessary to fight financial crime. It's comprehensive. Passing it should be considered a mark of high achievement, distinguishing qualified experts in this growing specialty area."

KENNETH E. BARDEN 

(JD, Washington)

"It's a vigorous exam. Anyone passing it should have a great sense of achievement."

DANIEL DWAIN

(CFCS, Official Superior

de Cumplimiento Cidel

Bank & Trust Inc. Nueva York)

"The exam tests one's ability to apply concepts in practical scenarios. Passing it can be a great asset for professionals in the converging disciplines of financial crime."

MORRIS GUY

(CFCS, Royal Band of

Canada, Montreal)

"The Exam is far-reaching. I love that the questions are scenario based. I recommend it to anyone in the financial crime detection and prevention profession."

BECKI LAPORTE

(CFCS, CAMS Lead Compliance

Trainer, FINRA, Member Regulation

Training, Washington, DC)

"This certification comes at a very ripe time. Professionals can no longer get away with having siloed knowledge. Compliance is all-encompassing and enterprise-driven."

KATYA HIROSE
CFCS, CAMS, CFE, CSAR
Director, Global Risk
& Investigation Practice
FTI Consulting, Los Angeles

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