Matthew Honnah – Business Due Diligence – Bank ABC
How did you get into the financial crime market?
I did an internship in compliance at an investment bank during university. This gave me an in depth introduction to a broad range of regulatory issues facing the industry after the financial crash. However, financial crime compliance stood out to me as the most exciting area.
Was it my first choice of career?
Yes, compliance was my first choice, although I also considered becoming a white collar crime lawyer
What were you doing previously?
Prior to my current role, I was working in financial crime compliance on a large-scale remediation project at HSBC New York. It was an amazing opportunity to live for a year in one of the most exciting cities in the world. I gained an international perspective on how financial crime is tackled.
What attributes do you think have made you successful in your career?
I think tenacity and courage have been the main attributes that have made me successful in my career. To succeed, you have to aim higher than what you think you are capable of, work hard and network until you get to your desired position.
Where do you plan to be in 5 or 10 year’s time?
My goal is to become an MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer), a role in which I would be making decisions about the level of financial crime risk that an organisation is able to practicably and safely take.
How do you plan to get there?
I plan to get there by building my smart career moves in order to progress quickly up the ranks and to develop my skills and knowledge through professional qualifications.
What advice would you give to someone just beginning a career in financial crime?
I would advise a junior that they should invest in themselves and develop their project management and IT skills.
What do you see as the growth areas in financial crime in the next 18 months? How will Brexit impact this?
It’s pretty hard to say because all the uncertainty surrounding when Brexit will happen has caused a lot of instability in the market. But certainly from a financial crime perspective, the prospect of increased international trade with non-EU markets will bring a host of new and sophisticated anti-money laundering and terrorist financing work.
Finally, when you’re not in work, how do you unwind?
I love travelling – I am planning to go to Colombia and Thailand this year – and learning about new cultures. I relax by cycling and listening to audiobooks and 90’s R’n’B music.
Visit Matthew’s Linkedin Profile here to learn more about him.