Hawksford has appointed a money laundering reporting officer (MLRO) with over 30 years’ experience in law enforcement and financial crime investigation as a member of the police force.
David Burmingham (pictured), will be responsible for ensuring Hawksford has a comprehensive and effective system to monitor and report on matters relating to anti money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), including sanctions compliance, internal risk, regulation, legislation and controls.
Working in the Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) team as an Associate Director, he will receive and investigate internal reports of any suspicious activity and take the lead in managing post-reporting activity. He has direct responsibility for the Deputy MLRO and five Quality Assurance Officers.
“Having served 30 years as a member of the police force, I’m looking forward to this new challenge with Hawksford,” says Burmingham. “My previous work has involved streamlining office processes to improve efficiency and enhance effectiveness by focusing on areas that pose the greatest risk. I’ll be transferring these skills and functions and applying them to the MLRO role in the corporate market. Combatting financial crime is my passion and an area in which I am experienced. This knowledge and understanding enables me to apply a practitioner’s perspective on financial crime, which will benefit the business and my colleagues.”
“The finance industry and Island authorities both have the same broad strategic aim of being able to protect the island’s reputation. The challenge is therefore to remain vigilant and ensure we meet legislative requirements and adhere to best practice.”
Michel van Leeuwen, chief executive officer at Hawksford, said: “It’s very exciting to have someone of David’s calibre join our team; we are thrilled to have attracted him to the business. His wealth of experience working on the frontline of financial crime oversight brings robust expertise and transferable skills to the MLRO role.”
Starting his career with Surrey Police in 1987, David’s roles have encompassed criminal investigation appointments such as detective constable, sergeant, inspector and chief inspector. In 2005, as detective chief inspector, he took command of the CID for Surrey’s southwest division based at Guildford, leading a department of 240 detectives, uniform officers and police staff covering crime investigation, prisoner handling, and administration of justice.
Upon moving to Jersey in 2006, David began his career with The States of Jersey Police. From 2012, he was Head of the Police & Customs Joint Financial Crime Unit (JFCU). He had responsibility for Jersey’s financial intelligence unit and an operational team conducting criminal investigations regarding serious fraud, financial crime and money laundering. The team included a customs & immigration confiscation team responsible for carrying out financial investigations pursuant to local drug trafficking investigations.
David is a qualified senior investigating officer for crime investigation and has completed courses with the National Criminal Intelligence Service and National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit. In 2015 he qualified as an International evaluator with the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on AML and CFT measures.
