Join Kharon for a conversation with leading financial services industry risk managers and advisors from Bank of America and Crowell, as we discuss the importance of better aligning financial crime compliance controls with national security priorities.
As regulatory expectations continue to evolve, regulators have emphasized the need for a more proactive approach to due diligence—particularly in connection with the rise of export controls evasion as a national security priority and the intersection of export controls and sanctions. As a result, covered institutions are increasingly advised to fundamentally understand actual risk.
In this session, our panelists discuss best practices for detecting and mitigating sanctions and export controls evasion, focusing on the role of covered financial institutions. The panel addresses relevant new guidance and explore best practices for detection and considerations for reporting.
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Panelists:
Frank Calestino, Senior Vice President, Bank of America
Frank P. Calestino is an internationally recognized subject matter expert on terror financing, the global hawala system, international financial sanctions, and counter-threat finance intelligence and law enforcement operations. He currently leads the Behavioral Analytics Team for Global Financial Crimes at Bank of America.
Mr. Calestino joined Bank of America in January 2016. Prior to this, he served over a decade with the U.S. Federal Government, spending most of his career overseas establishing and leading counter-threat finance cells for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
In addition to his duties at Bank of America, Mr. Calestino also serves as a consultant for the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Program against Money Laundering (GPML). His most recent assignments for UNODC entailed leading anti-money laundering, counter-terror financing, and counter-proliferation financing training missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam.
Jana del-Cerro, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro is a partner in Crowell & Moring's Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s International Trade and Government Contracts groups. She advises clients with respect to U.S. export controls, specifically Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and economic sanctions. Jana previously served in the Regulatory and Multilateral Affairs division of the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC’s) Policy office at the U.S. Department of State.
She works with U.S. and non-U.S. clients on all aspects of export compliance, including day-to-day compliance counseling, developing compliance programs, completing commodity jurisdiction and classification analysis, conducting export trainings, and performing M&A due diligence and coordinating related regulatory submissions. Jana works with clients across a broad range of industries, from traditional aerospace and defense manufacturers and multi-national software companies, to start-ups in the technology sector, and she regularly represents them before the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury in responding to government inquiries, conducting internal reviews, and in voluntary disclosures and compliance investigations.
Dj Wolff, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
David (Dj) Wolff is vice chair of Crowell & Moring’s International Trade Group and a director with C&M International, the firm's trade policy affiliate.
At Crowell & Moring, he serves on the steering committee for the International Trade Group, where his practice focuses on all aspects of compliance with U.S. economic sanctions, including day-to-day compliance guidance, developing compliance programs, responding to government inquiries, conducting internal investigations, and representation during civil and criminal enforcement proceedings. Dj works regularly with non-U.S. clients, both in Europe and Asia, to evaluate the jurisdictional reach of U.S. sanction authorities to their global operations, identify and manage the potential conflict of laws that can result from that reach, as well as to support client’s design, implementation, and evaluation of a corresponding risk-based sanctions compliance program.
Howard Mendelsohn, Chief Client Officer, Kharon
Howard works closely with business, compliance, and legal professionals to strengthen programs and controls for managing risks at the intersection of global security and commerce. Howard has over two decades of experience in combating illicit financial activity in both the government and the private sector. Howard served at the U.S. Treasury Department from 2001 to 2011, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Assistant Secretary (Acting) for Treasury's Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
Howard led Treasury's intelligence functions, including oversight of analytical production, risk assessment, security, and strategic planning. Following his service at Treasury, Howard held leadership positions in Enterprise Compliance at PNC Financial Services Group. He is a recognized thought leader on global security and risk matters and speaks regularly at conferences.