About Us
We are here to guide organisations through the complex landscape of governance, risk and compliance.
In the process we believe in turning risk management from a question of compliance into a genuine business accelerator – a way to free your organization to make better, faster and more profitable decisions within a responsible framework.
Our Approach
When you’re starting out on a journey, it doesn’t hurt to speak to someone with a map.
Since 2008 the governance, risk and compliance environment has been in constant flux. The past decade has seen a significant volume of new regulatory requirements, impacting both financial services and the real corporate world.
We can help you take stock of all that’s been done over the past decade – and as the rate of post-2008 regulation begins to slow – make sure your systems are fully enhanced for the years ahead. Our approach is defined by four overarching principles:
Far-sighted advice
We cure problems but we prefer to prevent them.
To do that, our team maps and monitors each regulatory territory and provides you with an expansive view of what lies ahead. We look into the future and say, while this doesn’t matter today, we think it’s going to be an issue in 5 years’ time. We then work closely with you to deliver a more nuanced understanding of the paths and pitfalls that could affect your organization, and clear guidance on how to navigate them.
Senior advisors on
your wavelength
One of the unique benefits of working with Ekur is we bring first-hand experience to bear from day one.
Our partners have sat in your seat, they know the pitfalls and they know what will come up. And whereas many consultancy partners will be the face of the company while more junior members do the work, your partner will be the one working with you from start to finish.
A more responsive
relationship
As a boutique firm we focus on fewer clients and being extremely responsive.
If you have an immediate problem we get you ahead of it, and we keep you ahead of it. Establishing a close working relationship also means we can make sure you get the best-fitting solution. Then, just like a tailor, when you need help in the future we’ll already know your measurements.
Smarter solutions
We use proprietary technology to deliver tech-enabled solutions. We also act as your eyes within the market.
Whether it’s transaction reporting or market surveillance, we bring the right vendors to the table for you to select through your own procurement processes. Then we work with you and the vendor to ensure new solutions work with your existing ecosystem to leverage to the data you already have.
Services
Helping you navigate the regulatory paths and pitfalls
Over the years, Ekur and its strategic partners have supported clients across a variety of sectors, including Commodity Trading, Mining, Financial and Physical Brokerage, FMCG, Private Equity and Wealth Management, Logistics, Professional Services Firms and Government. Here’s how:
Advisory
When you’re at the top of an organization it’s not always easy to find a second opinion from someone who has experience in your position. That is the point when our clients come to us.
We provide advisory services – even just that second opinion – across the governance, risk and compliance landscape.
Clients engage us to help them think through problems, get a view on their in-house generated solutions and to design or benchmark their GRC policies and processes.
Our aim is to be a business accelerator for our clients. Using our experience to help you and your team make the right decisions for your business.
Training
Working with your in-house team, we can design and deliver GRC training across a broad range of subjects.
These include company organization, board constitution, senior management and director responsibilities, sanctions, anti-money laundering, anti-bribery and corruption, countering terrorist financing, exchange rules, financial services, data privacy, sustainability and human rights due diligence.
We can deliver training in groups or on a one-to-one basis. Where possible, even in a post-COVID world, we find face-to-face training is the most effective way to drive behaviors among decision-makers and risk-takers.
“I was asked in a compliance training session a few years ago, ‘how do we make sure we’re 100% compliant?’. Easy, you turn off your PC, you disconnect your phone and you never do business again. Every company is in the business of risk. It’s about understanding the expectations of regulatory authorities, and where the hard stop is that you do not cross.”
We have also partnered with Exchange Analytics to offer e-learning solutions to our clients. With the digital expertise of Exchange Analytics combined with our collective deep industry experience, this e-learning product suite compliments and supports our bespoke face-to-face training.
Sustainability
Understanding sustainability, including the climate crisis and the business impact on human rights, is increasingly vital to our clients. Our GRC services support client sustainability policies and procedures – and help you integrate them into the GRC space.
We have experience in designing policies and procedures, identifying stakeholders, engaging with civil society organisations and government, and in implementing reporting frameworks that are suitable for a client’s business activities and available resources.
We understand the issues involved in long or uncertain supply chains and approach sustainability and human-rights risk in a similar way to our approach to financial crime risk – drawing on national and international best practice, the norms for the industry and data-driven geopolitical risk profiles from our partners.
Technology
Over the past ten years technology has become a core driver of GRC performance. GRC process automation speeds up decisions, reduces errors and is auditable.
We work with our clients to understand what data you currently have, and how it can be used to provide GRC insights at the enterprise and operational level. We’ll also provide an independent view on how your current systems might be enhanced to improve risk management, IT governance, reporting, resource and cost management.
If necessary, we can then use our strategic technology partners to implement change or help you through the procurement phase. We have experience of working with in-house IT teams and their chosen suppliers in large enterprises.
Our Team
Over 40+ years of
combined experience
Brian Lewis Geneva
Brian Lewis Geneva
Brian Lewis is a compliance professional with over 20 years’ experience focusing on derivatives and physical commodity markets, investment banking, financial crime, operational process re-engineering and systems gained in financial institutions and physical commodity trading firms. He has worked for Standard Chartered Bank, BNP Paribas, Noble Group, Gunvor and Cargill. Brian is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Philip Goodswen Geneva
Philip Goodswen Geneva
Philip Goodswen is a lawyer with over 20 years’ experience advising on issues in international trade, mining, energy and agriculture, commodity trading, financial services, corporate governance and human rights. He has worked for Hogan Lovells international law firm, ExxonMobil, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley and Cargill. He is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales. Philip is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Contact us for a viewpoint
info@ekuradvisors.com
Ekur Advisors is a boutique consulting firm focused on guiding clients through the complex landscape of governance, risk and compliance.
Ekur Advisors Sàrl
info@ekuradvisors.com
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© Ekur Advisors Sàrl
Ekur Advisors Sàrl © 2024
