Six executives investigating the risks of doing business in the Middle East and North Africa
Yaser Dajani
Position: Head of business intelligence practice, Mena region, Kroll
Biography: Yaser Dajani is head of business intelligence for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region for the US Kroll. He manages investigations for regional and international businesses and government clients. With more than 10 years experience, Dajani has dealt with complex business intelligence, regulatory investigations, fraud investigations, crisis management, corruption risk assessments and advice on market entry in the GCC. He has worked with clients from sectors including finance, government, law, telecoms, defence, oil and gas, construction, and engineering. Dajani has managed investigations across the region, with a particular focus on the GCC, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt and Libya. He has a bachelors degree in political science from George Mason University, and is a graduate of advanced training in dispute resolution from the University of Maryland, both in the US.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 449 6701
Nicholas Bortman
Position: Partner and head of Middle East, GPW
Biography: Nicholas Bortman heads the US-based GPWs Middle East practice, managing business intelligence, complex investigations and due diligence cases across the region and in sub-Saharan and East Africa and Central Asia. GPW assists clients from law firms, lenders, investors, and sovereign and governmental organisations to gather information for cross-border litigation and arbitration. The firm was founded by three former Kroll executives active in the sector since the 1980s. Bortman joined GPW in 2007 and founded the Dubai office in 2010. He began his career at Interro, the investigative practice of a former senior trial prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorneys office in the US. Bortman has also supported former Scotland Yard undercover officers from the UK infiltrating tobacco smuggling networks across the Middle East and Africa. He has a masters degree in international relations from the London School of Economics.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 387 5800
Richard Ayton
Position: Mena managing director, global risk and investigations practice, FTI Consulting
Biography: Richard Ayton joined the US FTI Consulting in April 2013 as managing director of its global risk and investigations practice in Dubai. He assists clients in understanding issues in Africa, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Ayton has 15 years experience directly engaging with emerging markets in commercial and government roles. Before joining FTI Consulting, he was head of advisory at a specialist risk management firm working with multinational clients. Ayton led complex investigative and consultancy projects in difficult-to-operate jurisdictions, and focused on understanding and resolving issues related to strategic decision-making, transactional compliance, new market entry and asset recovery. He previously served in Iraq and Libya with the British government. Ayton attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 437 2100
Courtenay Smith
Position: Director, forensic services, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Middle East
Biography: Courtenay Smith leads the UK-based PwCs corporate intelligence services in the Mena and southeast Asia regions. His practice advises on integrity due diligence, forensic and compliance checks on transactions in line with the US Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act, strategic risk assessments and asset tracing in disputes. Smiths industry specialisations include finance, energy, telecoms, aerospace and high-tech manufacturing. He joined PwC in 2013. Since 2009, Smith has advised local and multinational firms working in the Mena region, with particular emphasis on their operations and reputation management during the recent political changes in North Africa. He worked for the Australian government from 1997 to 2009, focusing on political and security issues across the Middle East. Smith has a bachelors degree in engineering from Monash University in Australia.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 304 3100
Nick Roberts
Position: Director, corporate investigations, Mena region and Pakistan, Control Risks
Biography: Nick Roberts is head of corporate investigations for the UKs Control Risks in the Mena region and Pakistan, focusing on forensic computing and accounting, legal technologies, and anti-bribery, corruption and fraud management. He has 14 years experience as a commercial investigator, having led projects on allegations of falsification of revenue, conflicts of interest, cheque fraud and abuse of position. Roberts has spent much of his career working with clients from government and non-government sectors on financial and non-financial investigations. He has helped clients manage the risk of fraud and assess the financial impact of commercial disputes. Roberts previously worked for PwC in the UK and the Middle East, in the latter as associate director of forensic investigations. He has a certificate in fraud management and a bachelors of communication degree in accounting and finance.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 372 3000
Ralph Stobwasser
Position: Director, Mena business intelligence services, Deloitte
Biography: Ralph Stobwasser is a director for the US-based Deloittes forensic practice covering the Mena region. His team undertakes investigative assignments including pre-transaction due diligence, market intelligence gathering, background investigations and litigation support, to prepare clients for a crisis, investigation or dispute. Stobwasser joined Deloitte in 2012 from Control Risks, where he led corporate investigations in the Middle East from 2009. From 2007 to 2009, he was a case manager for Krolls Mena business intelligence department. Stobwasser has also consulted for the World Bank and Germanys Bertelsmann Foundation on development and policy work in the Middle East. He has conducted investment risk analysis for companies operating in Iran. Stobwasser has a masters degree in Middle Eastern studies from Freie Universitat Berlin in Germany.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 506 4700
You might also like...
Rainmaking in the world economy
19 April 2024
Oman receives Madha industrial city tender prices
19 April 2024
Neom seeks to raise funds in $1.3bn sukuk sale
19 April 2024
Saudi firm advances Neutral Zone real estate plans
19 April 2024
A MEED Subscription...
Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.
