Hawksford has appointed Heather Wilkins as a director in its Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) team in line with the growth of the business.

In her new role, Heather will primarily focus on the Group Enterprise Risk Management framework, which includes a key role in the operation of a number of jurisdictional risk committees, as well as the management of the Group’s policy and procedure framework.

An expert in risk, compliance and assurance, prior to joining Hawksford Heather developed and implemented an Enterprise Risk Management framework for a FTSE 250 listed company. Following successful management of a project to achieve the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3402 accreditation, Heather was also responsible for managing and coordinating the annual ISAE 3402 report, which included assessing and implementing relevant internal controls.

When speaking of her appointment, Heather commented:

“I am looking forward to joining Hawksford and contributing to its overall GRC strategy. I’ll be working closely with the GRC team in streamlining processes, applying clear decision making and ensuring the business continues to meet its regulatory and compliance expectations.”

Hawksford’s Global Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance, Eric Dolan, added:

“Heather has proven risk and compliance expertise and we are delighted to welcome her to the team. Her knowledge and regulatory experience will be key for Hawksford in ensuring our risk and compliance processes remain robust and exceed industry requirements.”

Heather was previously Risk Director at Sanne Group for six years. Prior to this, she was a director in funds at Sanne, where she gained extensive experience in client administration and accounting. Heather began her career in audit and assurance at Ernst & Young where she qualified with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) before undertaking a secondment to its Geneva office.