Role Summary
We are a specialist advisory firm operating at the intersection of financial services, commodity markets, and geopolitics, supporting boards, senior executives, and public authorities in navigating complex policy, reputation, regulatory, and governance challenges.
As Senior Advisor / Head of Compliance, you will provide strategic leadership on policy (EU, Swiss, and US), trade and geopolitical matters, governance, sanctions, and market conduct risk across highly regulated and politically sensitive environments. You will advise multinational corporate firms, investment banks, asset managers, governments, and ultra-high-net-worth structures on policy analysis, operational and regulatory strategy, new business initiatives, and crisis situations.
You will operate across Europe, the UK, Middle East, APAC, and the US, engaging directly with regulators, law enforcement agencies, and international institutions, while leading the design, implementation, and optimization of global or regional governance and risk frameworks. The role combines hands-on technical expertise, executive advisory, and external representation at the highest level.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic compliance & governance leadership:
- Provide advice on the design, implementation, and oversight of enterprise-wide governance and risk frameworks covering trade flows, risk, compliance, and governance.
- Advise boards and executive committees on political strategy, regulatory risk, enforcement exposure, and strategic decision-making.
- Act as a trusted senior advisor in high-risk jurisdictions and complex political environments.
- Political affairs & external engagement:
- Possess deep experience with political and regulatory analysis at the European Commission level and country level within the EU, the UK, and Switzerland.
- Facilitate representation of clients and conduct technical analysis on a broad spectrum of topics, including economic stability, energy security, food security, the green agenda, financial market stability, banking and payments, and tax.
- Deliver briefings to law enforcement, political bodies, and trade organizations on current geopolitical events and their impact on global and regional trade.
- Financial crime, sanctions & market conduct:
- Lead advisory and remediation work relating to economic sanctions, AML, anti-bribery & corruption, market abuse, and trade finance risks.
- Provide expert insight on sanctions regimes (OFAC, SECO, EU, OFSI), including designation events, escalation management, and regulator engagement.
- Design and deploy market conduct and derivatives compliance frameworks across physical and financial commodity markets.
- Advisory, remediation & special projects:
- Lead post-enforcement remediation programmes, regulatory gap analyses, and governance reviews.
- Provide advisory capabilities on M&A transactions, trade and structured finance, FX and digital currency, new business setups, as well as capital and liquidity initiatives.
- Support vendor selection and deployment of technology architectures.
- Leadership, culture & capability building:
- Build, lead, and mentor global compliance teams across EMEA and APAC.
- Design and deliver compliance training programmes for front office, logistics, treasury, and senior management.
- Drive cost-effective compliance solutions by harmonizing processes while maintaining regulatory robustness.
- Thought leadership & expert representation:
- Act as Expert Witness in commercial and regulatory disputes relating to compliance, sanctions, commodity trading, and financial crime.
- Represent the organization at industry conferences, regulatory forums, and academic institutions.
- Contribute to public policy debates through publications, government briefings, and academic engagement.
Core Competencies
- Executive compliance leadership – board-level advisory, governance design, and regulatory strategy.
- Financial crime & sanctions expertise – deep mastery of AML, ABC, economic sanctions, trade finance, and maritime risk.
- Commodity markets & derivatives – extensive understanding of physical and financial trade flows and market dynamics.
- Regulatory affairs & enforcement – direct experience with lobbying, political analysis, regulators, investigations, and remediation programmes.
- Crisis & high-risk advisory – ability to operate effectively in politically sensitive and high-exposure environments.
- Systems & process optimization – proficiency in technology infrastructure, data digitalization, and cost-controlled framework deployment.
- Influence & communication – recognized as a trusted advisor to regulators, governments, boards, and C-suite executives.
Required Qualifications
- Experience: 20+ years in senior compliance, regulatory risk, and governance roles within financial services and commodity markets.
- Extensive background in investment banking, commodity trading, asset management, and international advisory environments.
- Proven track record as Chief Compliance Officer / Global Head of Compliance / Senior Advisor.
- Deep knowledge of global regulatory frameworks and enforcement bodies (US, EU, UK, APAC).
- Experienced public speaker, lecturer, and author on compliance and market integrity topics.
- Languages: Full professional proficiency in English; additional European languages are an advantage.
- Ability to operate independently at a senior level with significant autonomy and discretion.
Why Join Us?
This role offers the opportunity to operate at the front line of global compliance, geopolitics, and financial crime risk, advising the most sophisticated market participants and public authorities worldwide. You will work on high-stakes, non-standard matters where judgment, credibility, and experience are paramount, shaping regulatory outcomes and protecting institutions operating in volatile environments.
With a strong emphasis on intellectual independence, strategic impact, and global exposure, this position is ideally suited to a senior professional seeking to leverage deep expertise across advisory, leadership, and thought-leadership dimensions.
Apply
Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.