Geraldine Lawlor made KPMG Global Head of Financial Crime

Having led Barclays’ fight against financial crime for the last five years, Geraldine Lawlor has taken a new role with professional services giant KPMG. Lawlor takes the position of Global Head of Financial Crime, bringing more than 30 years of financial services expertise to the firm.

After major cases of fraud declined drastically in 2018, news has broken that the value of fraud worth over £100,000 has surpassed the £1 billion mark once more. The significance of the threat to the UK’s prosperity and the impact on victims were acknowledged by the Government in its Economic Crime Plan in July – but individual firms are also hurrying to strengthen their anti-fraud efforts in response to the rising threat. In this context, demand is surging for consultants who can help clients boost their defences.

KPMG’s forensic practice is made up of accountants, investigators, economists, technology specialists, ex-law enforcement professionals and regulators.  The global practice has 4,000 people who work with clients across a range of issues including fraud detection and prevention, business dispute, contract compliance, regulatory compliance and improving financial crime compliance.

In order to meet an increasing workload and strengthen its offering in combating financial crime, KPMG has announced the appointment of Geraldine Lawlor as a Partner. She joins the firm as its Global Head of Financial Crime, bringing with her 34 years of financial services experience.

Commenting on her appointment, Mark Cordy, UK Head of Financial Services, Forensic at KPMG said, “This is a real coup for us, as well as a vote of confidence in our vision, our people and our ability to serve our clients.”

Lawlor commenced her career in combating financial crime in 1986, when she joined AIB Group. She became Enterprise Head of Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-terrorist Financing and Sanctions before exiting in 2012 to join RBS. Following two years there, she left for another role in the financial sector, this time with Barclays. Over the course of a five-year stay with the bank, she became the company’s Global Head of Financial Crime, before exiting in the autumn of 2019. 

Geraldine Lawlor remarked, “I am hugely excited to join this pre-eminent business and lead an outstanding team of forensic professionals.”