KPMG Partner James Siswick joins Navigant in London

25 January 2019 Consultancy.uk

Former Big Four consultant James Siswick has arrived at Navigant’s London office to take up the role of Managing Director and European GIC lead. He has been a Partner with KPMG and a Director with Deloitte, specialising in financial crime investigation and remediation projects.

It is often said that with the rise of new technologies and market disruptions come prospective successes, as well as challenges for businesses. The truth of the matter is that this is also the case for professional criminals, however, and the rise of digital business in particular has offered up a major window of opportunity. As a result, financial crime is on the rise across the world and in the UK.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, authorities are currently failing to seize even 1% of global illicit financial flows. When weighing up the wider picture, this scarcely scrapes the surface of global money laundering transactions – which are estimated to be as high as 5% of global GDP, or roughly $1-2 trillion annually. In the UK, the economy is suffering to the tune of £37 billion a year because of serious and organised crime funded by this – including drug dealing, people trafficking and child abuse – according to the National Crime Agency.

Navigant specialises in transformational change for clients primarily in the healthcare, energy, and financial services industries. As a result, the global professional services firm has been undergoing a period of international expansion over the course of the last year, amid a spike in demand from businesses and governments alike, including a rising need to insure compliance to directives aimed at curbing financial crime.

As it prepares for another busy year in this respect, Navigant has announced the European expansion of its Financial Services Advisory and Compliance segment through additions to the segment’s global investigations and compliance practice team in London. James Siswick, a seasoned risk and compliance professional specialising in financial crime compliance, has joined the company as a Managing Director and European GIC lead, managing client relationships while also developing technology and forensic solutions for institutions facing complex compliance demands from regulators. He will also help lead the growth of the European GIC team.

Siswick arrives with Navigant from Big Four firm KPMG, where he was a Partner in the forensic financial crime practice, which he led for two years. He brings more than two decades of experience in financial crime and technology engagements, and has led numerous large, global financial crime investigation and remediation projects. He previously served as Director for data analytics and financial crime at Deloitte. He has strong international experience, having led engagements in France, Germany, Switzerland, the US, and the Caribbean, and is a FCCA-qualified accountant.

Ellen Zimiles, a Managing Director and FSAC Segment Leader at Navigant, said, “James is a skilled partner for financial institutions, particularly in helping to prevent and remediate financial crime, and adapting to ever-expanding regulatory scrutiny. His adept use of new technologies and data analytics will also benefit our client partners in reducing the cost of effective compliance.”

Commenting on the new role via his personal Twitter, Siswick himself added, “I’m delighted to have joined Navigant’s London office to strengthen and lead our Financial Services advisory and compliance segment in Europe and beyond.”