FinCrime Platform Business Interim Specialist / FinCrime (AFC) Compliance Consultant

7/2022 – 5/2023

As a Business Analyst, I assisted a subsidiary of a leading UK Bank in developing and executing new processes and an IT platform to streamline Customer Onboarding and Due Diligence procedures with the objective of creating an IT platform that could automate customer onboarding and related processes in a post-Brexit world.

Tasks performed:
Conducted a comprehensive Technical Gap Analysis
Created Functional Specifications
Conducted Process Analysis
Performed Regulatory Gap Analysis
Coordinated between Business and IT Teams
Conducted User Acceptance Testing
Provided Go-Live support
Carried out After-Go-Live tasks

Outcome:
Crucial role in the success of the project
Delivered high-quality work that exceeded the subsidiary's expectations.

Business Analysis, Business Process Model and Notation

4/2022 – 7/2022

As a member of the Financial Crime Compliance Governance and Controls team, I ensured that the Key Controls outlined in the Compliance Monitoring Plan were effectively implemented and executed by the Bank's 2nd Line of Defence in accordance with the KYC Policy and Internal Control Framework.

Tasks performed:
Conducted Compliance Monitoring Review Workshops with key stakeholders
Conducted interviews based on a pre-defined template
Conducted research on internal policies, procedures, guidelines, and work instructions
Documented the findings of the workshops
Provided recommendations for addressing any gaps or weaknesses identified in the controls or their effectiveness

Outcome:
Contributed to the effective implementation and execution of Key Controls
Helped to minimize the risk of financial crime
Contributed to protecting the Bank's reputation

Compliance management

6/2021 – 5/2022

I helped a small start-up in their solution engineering to create and bring an AI-based AML and Fraud solution to the market, covering payments screening and transactions monitoring using Agile Development in German and English.

Tasks performed:
Developed the business by understanding prospect needs and identifying problems
Managed client integration projects to successful go lives
Consulted on mapping Money Laundering Red Flags with Detection Algorithms and models
Recommended enhancements and filling gaps
Created concepts to integrate their tool with established Transactions Monitoring Tools
Developed new features to cover other KYC topics like CDD, CRRM, Onboarding, and Regular Reviews

Outcome:
Successfully created and brought an AI-based AML and Fraud solution to the market
Developed new features to cover other KYC topics
Collaborated with the start-up to ensure successful integration of their tool with established Transactions Monitoring Tools.

Compliance management, Vorverkauf

6/2021 – 12/2021

I advise the bank's Anti-Financial Crime Risk Modelling Unit in creating a new annual report on non-financial risk typologies affecting the bank and their coverage assessments, which involved identifying money laundering red flags, grouping them into risk themes, mapping themes across the bank's products, services, locations, and source systems, and identifying gaps and providing recommendations.

Tasks performed:
Identified money laundering red flags
Grouped red flags into risk themes
Mapped themes across the bank's products, services, locations, and source systems
Identified gaps and provided recommendations to improve coverage
Worked with tools including SMARAGD, MANTAS, PRIME, TFI, and AMS

Outcome:
Produced a new annual report on non-financial risk typologies affecting the bank and their coverage assessments
Identified gaps and provided recommendations to improve coverage of money laundering red flags
Improved the bank's understanding of non-financial risk typologies and their coverage assessments.

Business Analysis, Compliance management

5/2020 – 9/2021

In the Digitalisation Compliance project, I worked as a business project manager to digitize the Compliance department's processes, with one sub-project focused on the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) requirements.

Breakdown:
As a project manager, my primary responsibility was to digitize the Compliance department's processes, focusing on the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) requirements.
I conducted an Impact and Risk Analysis for the Market Abuse Regulation and implemented a Trade Surveillance Tool to meet the MAR requirements.
I also performed Business Analysis, Requirements Management, Issues Tracking, System and UAT Testing of the Tool to ensure its effectiveness.
I mapped data between Actimize Cloud Surveillance Tool and Union Investment's internal systems such as Charles River (CR IMS) and Fix Gateway and validated data quality.
I studied and analyzed the Order Lifecycle Process within the group, identifying and describing complex scenarios such as Plain Vanilla, Split and Merge Order Lifecycles.
I created Alert Investigation Best Practices and Internal Procedures and trained users on trade surveillance scenarios and tool usage.
Lastly, I provided expert assessments in investigating Alerts and created STORs for BaFIN to ensure compliance.

Compliance management, Wertpapiere

10/2019 – 4/2020

In this project we are mandated to make bank's compliance processes better and quicker. I directly reported to the head of financial security / compliance. In particular my tasks were:
- Improving Transactions Monitoring Alert Clearing Process and writing specific work instructions / best practices for Alert Investigation in Actimize SAM Tool
- Investigating Suspicious Activity Alerts and executing 2nd level controls for Sanctions Filtering Alerts in Fircosoft Tool
- Removing obstacles in the Alert Clearing Process and establishing a new risk-based alert investigation & research approach
- Improving New Corporate and Institutional Customer On-Boarding Process by balancing task distribution between Compliance (2nd level) and KYC Processing (1st Level) Team based on the risk of the customer; Automating KYC Matrix Update Process.
- Digitalising Procedure Management and Procedure Tracking Processes by defining exact to-dos for specific teams and specific events e.g. Regulation Update, Internal Policy change, etc.
- Updating older local policies and working instructions for various compliance domains e.g. KYC, MiFiD II, Fraud, GDPR, Market Abuse, Sanctions Monitoring, etc.
- Re-defining AML Risk Calculator
- Business Requirements, Gap Analysis, Testing and Tuning for Market Abuse Remediation Project for Sell-Side Account-Keeping Activity.

Compliance management, Prozessoptimierung

7/2019 – 10/2019

Project: Corporate Customer On-Boarding and Maintenance
- Lead BA for On-Boarding Sub-Stream Implementation involving SAP Fiori/SAP CRM
- Business Analysis for KYC Review Project Implementation involving SAP Fiori
- Workshop Moderation between Business and IT
- Requirements Elicitation from Relationship Managers, Account Administrators, Client Lifecycle Management, Middle Office, Key Account Managers, Local Compliance and Group Compliance teams.
- User Acceptance Testing
- Prozessanalyse

Business Analysis, Jira, Kanban (Softwareentwicklung), SAP CRM, SAP Fiori, Scrum, Six sigma

5/2018 – 5/2019

As a consultant hired by Postbank's Financial Crime Compliance Unit to help achieve coherence with Deutsche Bank Privat und Firmenkunden AG's systems, policies, and procedures, my main focus was on Trade Surveillance and Market Abuse in accordance with German WpHG regulations. In this project, I undertook the following tasks:

Conducted a Business and Gap Analysis between Postbank's and Deutsche Bank's (Berlin) Trade surveillance systems, policies, and procedures to identify gaps and differences.
Provided directions and best practices on how to unify and reconcile the gaps and differences to achieve coherence between the two systems.
Acted as an Interim Compliance Officer, contributing to Compliance Monitoring Reviews and Compliance Monitoring Plans, and investigating Trade Surveillance Alerts to fill in Suspicious Trade and Order Reports (STORs) to BaFIN.
Acted as a Business Analyst in changing current configurations, thresholds, and settings for Trade Surveillance Tool at Postbank end, ensuring that it meets the new coherence requirements.
Provided Subject Matter Training on Market Abuse and Trade Surveillance to both Postbank Compliance and Berlin-Based Deutsche's Compliance Unit to ensure that all personnel involved were informed and well-trained on compliance matters.
Through my contributions, I helped Postbank and Deutsche Bank Privat und Firmenkunden AG achieve coherence in their Trade Surveillance and Market Abuse systems, policies, and procedures, ensuring compliance with German WpHG regulations, and minimizing the risk of financial crime.

Compliance management

12/2017 – 2/2018

A Financial Crime Supervision Unit of a bank wanted to investigate the Paradise Papers leaks and assess their impact on the bank, so they commissioned a boutique US Compliance Advisory which hired me as a Financial Crime Expert and Project Co-Lead.

Breakdown of tasks:

Coordinated a team of 5 and acted as Co-Lead in the absence of the Project Lead.
Investigated the Paradise Papers and other relevant leaks.
Defined the need/concept for Visual Link Analysis and supported in developing a tailored Search Database for Internal DB investigators.
Worked together with Senior Investigators on Case Studies based on the leaks, flagging potential KYC/AML/Tax Avoidance/Adverse Media and Publicity Risks to the bank.

Projektleitung / Teamleitung (IT)

10/2016 – 5/2018

As an Actimize expert and Project Business Lead, I joined Commerzbank's Global Roll-Out Project in 21 locations of the world.

Tasks:
Conducted Business Analysis and Requirements Management for AML/KYC/CDD, CTF, Name Screening domains.
Conducted UAT Testing, Test Cases, and Test Acceptance.
Conducted Data Mapping between Actimize AML/KYC Case Management Tool and Bank's internal databases.
Conducted Workshops with Internal Compliance Analysts (Tool Training).
Implemented complex Workflow/Permissions/Restrictions in the tool.
Integrated DJ Factiva Listen (Sanctions, PEPs, SIP/SIE, Adverse Media/SOC & Internal Lists).
Conducted Impact assessment of Information Sharing Pre-Studies on the Name Screening (KYC) Tool subject of worldwide roll-out.
Supervised Project Team, Project Effort, and Quality.
Acted as Proxy Product Owner, taking part in Daily Stand-Ups and providing business view during sprints and retrospectives.
Provided expert advice in building Compliance Target Operating Model and building bridges between various Compliance Tools.
Provided expert advice on Corporate Customer On-Boarding Process and in particular Pre-Compliance/Post-Compliance Process Step Implementations.

Outcome:
Successfully completed Business Analysis and Requirements Management, UAT Testing, and Data Mapping.
Successfully integrated the DJ Factiva Listen tool and implemented complex workflows, permissions, and restrictions in the tool.
Conducted Impact assessment of Information Sharing Pre-Studies on the Name Screening (KYC) Tool subject of worldwide roll-out.
Provided expert advice on building Compliance Target Operating Model and Corporate Customer On-Boarding Process.

Business Analysis, Projektleitung / Teamleitung (IT)

5/2016 – 9/2016

I joined Danske as a Market Abuse/Trade Surveillance Expert to solve their data mapping issue between external trade surveillance vendor tool and internal systems.

Tasks:
Conducted business analysis, gap analysis, and data analysis to understand the problem.
Conducted data mapping and data validation between Actimize tool and internal trading and order management systems such as Fidessa, ION, Tradeweb, Bloomberg, and OneTick by OneMarketData.
Collaborated with internal teams to ensure data accuracy and quality.
Developed and implemented a comprehensive solution for data mapping problem.
Provided recommendations to optimize the process and improve efficiency.

Business Analysis

4/2016 – 12/2016

The project involved conducting an impact analysis of Market Abuse Regulation on the bank and its trading business, and carrying out business analysis, requirements management, and testing in JIRA, among other tasks.

Tasks:
Conducting an impact analysis of Market Abuse Regulation (MADII/MAR, WPHG, MACOMP) on the bank and its trading business
Performing business analysis and requirements management
Testing in JIRA
Data mapping of Actimize Cloud Surveillance Tool vs. ING DIBA Order Management System
Developing trade surveillance best practices, internal procedures, and policies
Providing training to compliance analysts.

Business Analysis

3/2016 – 2/2017

The project involved conducting an impact analysis of the Market Abuse Regulation on the bank and its trading business, as well as performing business analysis, data mapping, and trade surveillance best practices.

Tasks:
Conducting an impact analysis of the Market Abuse Regulation (MADII/MAR, WPHG, MACOMP) on the bank and its trading business.
Performing business analysis, requirements management, and testing using Jira.
Conducting data mapping between Actimize, Kordoba, and market data vendor IDC.
Developing trade surveillance best practices, internal procedures, and policies, and training compliance analysts.
Supervising the project team, project effort, and timelines.

Outcome:
Successfully conducted an impact analysis of the Market Abuse Regulation and developed effective business analysis and requirements management procedures.
Successfully performed data mapping and implemented best practices to ensure effective trade surveillance.
Developed internal procedures and policies to ensure compliance with regulations and trained compliance analysts to keep them informed of the latest best practices and regulations.
Supervised the project team to ensure the project was completed within the specified timelines and met the required standards.

Business Analysis, Projektleitung / Teamleitung (IT)

4/2014 – 3/2016

The role involved Business Analysis for various compliance domains using Actimize at a financial institution.

Tasks:
Conduct Business Analysis for Trade Surveillance, Market Abuse and Insider Trading using Actimize
Conduct Business Analysis for Energy Trading Compliance using Actimize
Conduct Business Analysis for Anti Money Laundering (AML) - Suspicious Activity Analysis using Actimize
Conduct Business Analysis for Know Your Customers (KYC) - Name Screening, Transaction Screening, and Customer Scoring using Actimize
Conduct Business Analysis for Sales Practices and Suitability - Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) using Actimize.

Business Analysis, Compliance management