Prior to joining Kroll, David was the executive secretary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the senior advisor to G7 and G20 on AML and counter terrorist financing from 2015 to January 2022. He led the FATF Secretariat in bringing to bear the combined expertise of more than 200 governments and 20 international organizations from the United Nations to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, Interpol, Europol and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units in order to fight money laundering, financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This included work to understand risks, trends and methods; develop global standards and guidance; and assess the effectiveness of action taken by governments. David established the first FATF training institute and global training program for government officials. He has led a variety of global initiatives, including the FATF strategy and operational plan on terrorist financing following the terror attacks in Paris in 2015 and global action against the illegal wildlife trade. His work for the UK Government since its Presidency of the G8 in 2013, and since with the FATF, has ed to more than 100 countries committing to registries of company beneficial ownership, and to a new global standard.
Earlier in his career, David worked for the UK government as a senior policy advisor at HM Treasury, where he was the head of AML Policy and the Illicit Finance Unit. He led a comprehensive review of the UK’s AML and counter terrorist financing regime, developed the first UK National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, and led the implementation of key sanctions and asset-freezing activity in the Middle East and North Africa. He led the UK delegation to the EU, the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, and the East and South Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group. Additionally, David was Co-Chair of the FATF Evaluation and Compliance Group, the body responsible for managing the evaluation of countries against global standards. Previously, he served as a senior member of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (now the UK National Crime Agency).
David received the inaugural Financial Crime Fighter Award for 2021 from the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime for his outstanding leadership in the field of AML and counter terrorist financing. He also received the ACAMS Public Service Award for longstanding commitment to the global anti-financial crime community. David is a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge and an honorary lecturer at Cardiff University. He writes a regular column for AML Intelligence.
David studied at Portsmouth and Cranfield universities. He is a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. David is a member of the Advisory Board for Elucidate and of the Technical Advisory Group for the Global NPO Coalition.
