KordaMentha has announced two senior appointments to its expanding Financial Crime practice.
Chris Faherty, a senior leader who has helped organisations navigate financial crime risks across four continents, joins as Partner and Megan O’Donnell-Lace, a veteran of the financial services industry with senior bank experience, as Executive Director.
The move to grow KordaMentha’s trans-Tasman financial crime practice aims to meet the rising demands of clients aligned to governments’ evolving anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes. With extensive experience across Australia and New Zealand, the new appointments will enhance the firm’s capability to serve both markets.
Chris works with clients to design and implement fit-for purpose financial crime frameworks. He helps organisations improve operational performance, conduct independent audits, devise effective remediation plans and build and assess control environments. He joins KordaMentha from TSB Bank in New
Zealand, where he was Head of Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.
Before that, Chris spent nearly a decade at EY, where he led the firm’s Forensic & Integrity Services practice in New Zealand. He also worked as an executive in the firm’s forensic practice in New York, advising multi-national financial institutions on regulatory response and remediation initiatives relating to financial crime.
Megan is a versatile and resilient leader known for building energised teams. With an exceptional 20-year financial services career across many divisions and group roles, her experience includes leading the design and implementation of integrated financial crime operating models, developing and driving group risk offshore services strategy, and leading the business change implementation of upgraded AML systems.
Megan joins KordaMentha from ANZ, where she spent over nine years in roles as Head of Group Compliance Strategy, Enablement & Learning, Senior Strategy & Change Manager and Governance & Control Manager – Financial Crime Operations. Prior to ANZ, Megan was a Partner in a business consulting firm in South Africa, and a Senior Portfolio Manager at Barclays Africa Bank.
KordaMentha Financial Crime Partner Alice Saveneh-Murray welcomed the new appointees.
“This is an area of increasing need and complexity, not only due to sophisticated criminal activity, but also to proposed legislative change. Chris and Megan bring highly specialised skills. They have worked in a variety of different environments and that diversity really strengthens our team.” Chris will be based in New Zealand to manage KordaMentha’s Trans-Tasman clients, and Megan will join the firm’s Melbourne office.
