South Africa Regional Financial Crime Risk Roundtable

Nadia manages the Themis Insight team, working on threat-based analysis of a variety of topics related to financial crime, including Themis' jurisdictional risk programme. Nadia has a diverse background in international affairs and research. Prior to joining Themis, she completed assignments at the United Nations, FTI Consulting, NATO Parliamentary Assembly and European Commission. Nadia has a dual master’s from the London School of Economics and Sciences Po, Paris, and a Double First Class undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge, all in the sphere of International Relations.

Manet is a senior leader in the Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment. Manet Basson’s experience spans various jurisdictions across the world including United Kingdom, UAE, USA, and most Southern African countries, with her areas of expertise including customer remediation, EDD reviews and remediation projects, conducting money laundering investigations and assisting internal audit in AML/CFT audits. Manet's past roles include work at KPMG Forensic (South Africa) Barclays Africa and Absa Corporate Investment Bank, where she managed approximately 12 countries on the African continent as the first line of defence, advising on financial crime matters.

Steven Powell is a renowned specialist white-collar crime prosecutor and forensics lawyer. Steven specialises in leading financial crime investigations that result in successful disciplinary and criminal proceedings as well as the recovery of losses from offenders in both civil and criminal matters. Steven has been appointed to act for the South African Asset Forfeiture Unit to execute a multitude of restraint and forfeiture orders to recover the proceeds of crime flowing from corporate fraud, drug and abalone smuggling. He has performed investigations in, amongst others, the financial, oil and gas, mining, insurance and retail sectors in multiple jurisdictions in Africa.

Ian McDonald is currently an Associate Director for Financial Crime Strategy for the Government of Jersey. In this role he acts as the national coordinator for Jersey between financial crime agencies, including States of Jersey Police, Law Officers Department, Financial Intelligence Unit and Viscount’s Department. This work involves the development of policy, legislation and risk assessments relating to national financial crime threats and vulnerabilities, as well as the planning, implementation and evaluation of a national programme aimed at measuring and improving performance of key agencies in the areas of money laundering/terrorist financing investigation and prosecution; financial intelligence collation and dissemination; and criminal asset recovery. Most recently Ian has been part of the Government of Jersey’s preparations for the Mutual Evaluation of Jersey’s AML/CFT/CPF regime by the Council of Europe (MONEYVAL) in respect of the implementation of the FATF standards.

Sameera Dawood-Bhagwan is the Divisional Head for AML/CFT in the Prudential Authority of the South African Reserve Bank. This Division is responsible for AML/CFT supervision of the banks and life insurers, including on-site and off-site supervision. She is an admitted attorney and has over 12 years collective experience working in various AML/CFT roles at financial institutions as well as the Financial Intelligence Centre. She is also a co-chair of the FATF Immediate outcome 3 and 4 working group which feeds into the Inter-Departmental Committee chaired by National Treasury.