Meet our patrons and board
LONDON • FRAUD • FORUM
Find out more about our patrons and board of the London Fraud Forum.
The London Fraud Forum (LFF) has been set up with the aim of increasing the resilience of regional organisations – in both the private and public sectors – to the threats posed by fraud. Our patrons and board of experts lead the London Fraud Forum with a wide range of both public and private sector experience, who bring their knowledge to the forum to drive strategy and ensure that the organisation meets the needs of its members.
Board members
Nick Downing
Chairman, London Fraud Forum
Director, Financial Advisory - Deloitte
Nick Downing took over the voluntary role of Chair of the London Fraud Forum in February 2023.
He is currently a Director in the Deloitte Forensic Practice. He joined Deloitte after working as part of the executive team at CIFAS, UK Leaders in Fraud Prevention and a distinguished 30-year career in law enforcement, reaching the senior executive position of Assistant Chief Constable, Head of Serious, Organised and Economic Crime for Kent and Essex Police.
As one of the UKs most senior detectives, he was the National Policing lead for Financial Investigation and Proceeds of Crime, leading a campaign across policing to maximise the use of financial intelligence, co-chairing the Strategic Asset Recovery Group.
Nick was the former Metropolitan Police Strategic Lead for Proceeds of Crime and previously authored the Fraud prevention strategy for London. He was the National Policing lead to combat Serious, Organised and Economic Crime at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Throughout his career in law enforcement, he worked at a senior level with UK Government, UK and International Law Enforcement. Through development of relationships with key partners in the private sector he was able to pioneer new methods to prevent, disrupt and detect organised crime. These include, working with the specialist print industry to prevent the sale of equipment to manufacture counterfeit identity documents, this led to The Specialist Printing Equipment and Materials (Offences) Act 2015. In addition, he pioneered the sharing of counterfeit identities across the public and private sectors, leading to fraud being prevented and offenders being brought to justice.
Vee Bharkhada CIArb MCMI
Founder Director - Navigate Business Recovery Ltd
With over 35 years with top 10 national firms, Vee specializes in insolvency related disputes and helps all directors with advice and practical guidance on Company and Bankruptcy legislation across the whole insolvency spectrum focusing specifically on getting directors out of tricky situations. Vee delivers bespoke Business Recovery and Commercial Mediation solutions for corporate and personal clients who wish to benefit from Vee's 28 years of Valued Expertise and Experience.
Vee helps her clients "Navigate" their way out of challenging financial situations. Those burdened with high levels of debt receive sympathetic advice based on their personal circumstances. Vee will provide maximum value for clients, banks, and creditors, often preserving employment for staff.
Vee has assisted in the sale of various insolvent businesses as going concerns. Directors receive professional and sympathetic help in all aspects of business recovery and turnaround. Vee's Commercial Mediation Services help businesses and individuals manage contractual disputes without incurring significant professional costs.
Sarah Yale
Treasurer, London Fraud Forum
Associate Director, Grant Thornton UK LLP
Sarah joined the board as Treasurer in 2020. She is currently an Associate Director within Grant Thornton UK LLP’s Insolvency and asset recovery team, based in London. Sarah has over 17 years’ experience of asset tracing and recovery cases. Her experience relates to contentious insolvency cases, in the UK and on cross-border matters, and asset management and enforcement cases under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Sarah is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and holds a Certificate in Insolvency (ICAEW).
Tracy Bester
Membership Secretary, London Fraud Forum
Tracy has recently joined the board, in 2024. She is based in Surrey, London. Tracy has over 20 years’ experience in Corporate Learning and Development. She has spent the last 5 years, with W.consulting, developing and delivering training to enhance corporate ethical culture, provide awareness around what ethical behaviour is & challenging employees to ‘Speak Up’ when they see unethical actions. This is done by focusing on behavioural change in individuals and organisations.
Tracy is a Chartered Accountant CA(SA), a Coach and Change Management Practitioner.
Tom Hill
Detective Chief Inspector - City of London Police
Detective Chief Inspector and Head of Unit for the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED). IFED is part of the City of London Police and has a national remit to investigate insurance fraud and economic crime throughout England and Wales.
Tom has over 17 years’ experience in law enforcement with previous roles in Counter Terrorism and Criminal Investigation. Recent work includes the setting up of a national fraud coordination function, leading a network of fraud officers based in each Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) across England and Wales.
Tom is keen to use his expertise to support the continued work of the London Fraud Forum in responding to the threat from fraud.
Rachael Tiffen
Director of Public Sector at Cifas & Learning
Rachael is Director of Public Sector at Cifas & Learning. She was Head of Audit and Counter Fraud in 3 London Boroughs. At the National Fraud Authority, Home Office in 2010 as Head of Public Sector Fraud she researched and drafted the first local government counter fraud strategy Fighting Fraud Locally ( FFL) and created pilot data hubs using partnerships. In 2013 she joined the MoD as manager of the Fraud Defence Unit. In 2014 she created the CIPFA Counter Fraud Centre - creating qualifications and services, drafting the second FFCL Strategy for HMG, and the latest FFCL whilst at Cifas in 2020. Rachael is a well-known speaker and author on counter fraud and corruption, sitting on a number of industry Boards. She is the Independent Person for Standards and Ethics at the LB Tower Hamlets and the LB Brent, and sits on the Audit Committee for the Police Commissioner for Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. In 2017 she won the Stella Walsh Award “Lifetime Achievement in Countering Fraud”. Rachael occasionally hosts a spot on CLGdotTV interviewing other counter fraud experts.
Louise Baxter MBE
Louise graduated with a law degree in 2001. In 2002 she started work for East Sussex Trading Standards. From there she was promoted through the ranks and in 2009 she was appointed as a Senior Manager, it was at this time she took over as Chair of the Chartered Trading Standards Institutes (CTSI) Consumer Empowerment Alliance until 2021.
In 2011 Louise got frustrated by the system in relation to support of scam victims and started what is now the National Trading Standards Scams Team. In 2015 Louise was given a Hero’s Award from CTSI in recognition of the significant contribution she has made to consumer protection. In 2017 Louise was awarded a CTSI Fellowship and an MBE for Protecting Vulnerable Consumers from Financial Abuse.
Louise is CTSIs current Lead Officer for advice and education and Non-executive Director for the CTSI Board and current previous past chair of the Institute (2020-2023).
She worked as a member of the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling for the Gambling Commission 2018-2022. She is a current member of Phone Paid Services Authority consumer panel and has been since 2018.
Louise recently started a new venture www.consumerfriend.org.uk. An organisation set up to provide information, advice and education to consumers on their consumer rights with a focus on energy efficiency and supporting all consumer vulnerability.
Louise is a consumer champion with a real passion for supporting vulnerability and hoping to equip consumers and businesses with knowledge. Hopefully, ensuring more consumers get the best outcomes, whatever they are trying to do and that they are protected from fraud and scams,
Dr Elisabeth Carter
Dr Elisabeth Carter is a criminologist and forensic linguist who conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of language and the law. She examines how interactional, ethical, and social drivers are manipulated by fraudsters, and the intricate balancing act between power and persuasion, credibility, and vulnerability. She is best known as the UK’s foremost scholar on romance fraud, however, she uses interactional methodologies to unpick persuasion and manipulation in fraudulent communications of all types.
Elisabeth has been awarded the Tackling Economic Crime Award (TECAs) for Outstanding Tackling Economic Crime Professional. She can be regularly found on television series and radio shows bringing understandings of fraud to life, including on BBC One, ITV, Radio 4, Channel 5 and Paramount+. She uses her cutting-edge research to advance academic understandings of economic crime and across the public, private and third sector through informing law enforcement campaigns, driving police operations, and delivering practical strategies that disrupt the power of fraudulent communications and pervasive negative narratives of victimhood.
Pammi Babbra
Member Board of Directors and Chairperson - Eastern Fraud Forum
Pammi is a commercial litigation solicitor who has practised in the City of London for 20 years. She heads her firm’s multidisciplinary litigation department, which has a strong focus on commercial fraud and regulation. She has been involved with the work of the Fraud Fora for over 8 years and has actively contributed, together with the public and private sectors, to the fight against fraud and economic crime. Against this background, Pammi was keen to recreate in the eastern region a forum for members of all sectors to share experiences, opinions, best practices, information, discussion and cooperation, and so spearheaded the re-establishment of the Eastern Fraud Forum.
Pammi has perused and defended a wide range of complex contract disputes, high-value breaches, liabilities in the supply chain and related Part 20 claims, origins of art, intellectual property, apportioning liability in cross-border matters, including transportation and distribution, import/export regulation and matters involving the Export Control Joint Unit, European and international conventions, Border Force and confiscation. She also works on domestic and cross-border arbitrations and has been involved in investigations of fallen hedge funds and advising on other regulatory matters, including the Phone-paid services authority and banking matters.
A number of these cases have involved allegations of breaches of fiduciary duties, misrepresentation, conspiracy, misconduct, deceit and misappropriation requiring injunctive relief, domestic and worldwide freezing injunctions, enforcement in tax efficient jurisdictions and committal proceedings.
Gary Miles
Head of Crime for National Fraud Intelligence Bureau at City of London Police
Gary has over 10 years experience in complex fraud investigation and management.
He has the drive to deliver Fraud and Cyber prevention and is responsible for the design and implementation of Amberhill (Identity Crime prevention and disruption).
Euan Palmer
Partner in the Dispute Resolution Team at Greenwoods GRM LLP
Euan Palmer has more than 20 years of experience in resolving disputes. He originally qualified in New Zealand, and his accent still lingers. In 2001, he shifted to the UK. Euan is also qualified as a Solicitor Advocate, granting him the right to appear as an advocate in the Higher Courts. This means he can even find himself opposing Queens Counsel engaged by his opponents, which keeps the adrenaline going, he can promise you.
Euan Palmer has extensive experience in and advises across a range of commercial disputes and issues, with a particular focus on disputes arising from the Oil & Gas industry. He truly enjoys the work in this sector, as what other industry sends a crawler down a two-kilometer deep hole to blow itself up and cut the drill pipe? Euan acts on both sides of typical Contractor/Operator disputes, both onshore and offshore, related to drilling services operations. He also frequently handles Operator/Non-operator disputes arising from transportation and asset sharing agreements, farm-ins, joint ventures, and other inter-operator agreements.
In recent times, Euan has been involved in higher-profile matters specific to the oil and gas industry. He has represented clients in court and international arbitration proceedings. His work includes warranty claims under Share Purchase Agreements, alleged breaches of directors' fiduciary duties, search and seizure orders, urgent relief, fraud, and consequential cross-border asset tracing claims. Euan's experience extends to various dispute resolution forums, including ad hoc and institutional arbitration, as well as mediation.
Euan Palmer's specialties encompass general contractual disputes, directors' duties, construction-related disputes, oil and gas industry disputes (including arbitration), injunction applications (including those specific to employment and the enforcement of restrictive covenants).
Patrons
Lord John Stevens, KStJ, QPM, DL, LLD, Hon DCL, MPhil, CIMgt, FRSA
Lord Stevens’ 42 years’ service in the Police Service culminated in his appointment as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, a position that he held from 2000 to 2005. During his career, he was commended on 27 occasions for outstanding detective ability or courage. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in 1991 and the Freedom of the City of London in 1992. He was knighted in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours in 2000, and was made Deputy Lieutenant of London in 2001 and a Knight of St John in 2002. In 2005 he was ennobled to the House of Lords as Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, and since 2007 he has held various senior advisory positions to UK Prime Ministers.
Honorary members
Alan Day
Honorary President, London Fraud Forum
Director of AKD Services
Alan is a leading counter-fraud professional with over 40 years’ experience of fraud and security risk management at the operational, management and strategic level. As Director of AKD Services Alan has provided advice to national and international companies on developing strategic fraud and security risk management. Alan has many years’ experience of using intelligence to aid risk management and is a keen advocate of the use of fraud intelligence. Prior to founding AKD Services Alan was the Senior Audit and Investigations Manager – Fraud & Security at Transport for London, where he introduced a successful fraud and security risk management approach at Crossrail, at the time the largest European construction project. He also implemented a TfL group-wide fraud and security assurance programme of works. Alan has a BA (Hons) in Economics & Politics and a MA in Security Management and is a Fellow of the Security Institute as well as the Vice Chair of the Institute’s Fraud Special Interest Group. Alan is the Vice Chair of the West Mercia Police and PCC Audit and Standards Committee and also the Honorary President of the London Fraud Forum, having been their Chair for eight years since incorporation.
Robert Brooker
Former Chairman, London Fraud Forum
Fraud Manager, Co-Head of Forensics and Fraud, PKF Littlejohn LLP
Robert is currently Co-Head of Forensics and Fraud, PKF Littlejohn LLP, where he is responsible for delivering Fraud Risk Management, identifying, assessing and managing the fraud risks with organisations in relation to the supply chain and the insider threat. Additionally, he is responsible for the investigation of crime, including online fraud, security breaches, disciplinary and recovery actions being taken in accordance with relevant legislation. Robert possesses extensive financial crime experience, exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and a proven track record of building successful, long-lasting working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Having been involved with the London Fraud Forum from the outset, Robert became Chair in 2014. Robert is a member of Prevention of Fraud in Travel (ProFIT)
Rosalind Wright, CB QC
Former Chair, Fraud Advisory Panel
Rosalind Wright is a barrister who has since pursued a career in financial services regulation, fraud prosecution and prevention. Rosalind was Chair of the Fraud Advisory Panel from 2003 to 2014, of the Supervisory Committee of OLAF, (the European anti-fraud Office) from 2005 to 2012, and was also a member of the Insolvency Group Steering Board and of the Department of Trade and Industry Legal Services Group Board and Vice-Chair and Trustee of the Jewish Association for Business Ethics. She was Director of the Serious Fraud Office (1997 - 2003), a non-executive director of the Office of Fair Trading (2003 - 2007), and General Counsel, Head of Prosecutions and Director of Policy, Securities and Futures Authority (SFA) (1987 - 1997). She is currently Complaints Commissioner for the London Metal Exchange and chairs a number of disciplinary panels for professional accountancy regulatory bodies. She was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2001 New Year Honours List and was made an honorary QC in October 2006.
Monty Raphael, QC
Self-employed strategist, writer and speaker
Monty Raphael QC retired from Peters & Peters after a long legal career of over 50 years with the company. He was Senior Partner until 2005 and remained with the firm as full-time Special Counsel until he retired. He was ranked as one of the top 100 UK business lawyers and named as an Eminent Practitioner in Financial Crime in Chambers 100. Monty continues to write and speak on all aspects of international business crime and regulation. He is founder of the Business Crime Committee of the International Bar Association and past Chair of its Anti-Corruption Committee; a former Member of The Board of Directors of the Fraud Advisory Panel and former Director of Transparency International (UK). Monty has published widely on white collar crime; his most recent book is Bribery Law and Practice (OUP, March 2016).
Jonathan Fisher, QC
Red Lion Chambers, London
Jonathan is ranked as a leading barrister in Band 1 for Financial Crime and Proceeds of Crime cases by the internationally recognised law directory, Chambers & Partners UK. He is also ranked in the legal directories as a leading barrister for financial services, fraud and tax cases. Jonathan is a registered practitioner in the Dubai International Financial Court, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and a Chartered Tax Adviser, an accredited Trusts and Estates Practitioner (STEP), a member of the International Bar Association's Anti-Money Laundering Forum and General Editor of Lloyds Law Reports: Financial Crime. Between 2006 and 2010 Jonathan was a Trustee Director of the Fraud Advisory Panel. He was a Committee Member of the Asset Recovery Agency Steering Group between 2003 and 2006, a Legal Panel Member of the Accountancy & Actuarial Discipline Board between 2006 and 2008, and Standing Counsel (Criminal) to HM Commissioners of Inland Revenue at the Central Criminal Court and London Crown Courts between 1991 and 2003. Jonathan has made a significant contribution to reforming law and policy in the areas of financial crime and human rights, and in 2011 he was appointed to serve as a Commissioner on the UK’s Commission on a Bill of Rights.
Dr Stephen Hill, BSc (Hons), MLPI, CIIP, PhD, CFE
Managing Director, Hill Bingham Ltd
Dr Stephen Hill is the managing director of Hill Bingham Ltd. He is an expert trainer and consultant with over 20 years’ experience providing services to the private and public sector in fraud (cyber) risk management, data security/protection and internet investigations & open-source intelligence.
Stephen spent over 11 years working for a top international firm of chartered accountants heading the Fraud and Forensic Group, leading an expert body advising clients on prevention, detection and recovery of fraudulent assets, working closely with the police, HMRC and private sector.
Dr Hill spent 12 years as a Trustee Director of the Fraud Advisory Panel and is now a special advisor. He chaired the Fraud Advisory Panel's Cybercrime Working Group with colleagues from the public, private, and third sectors. He also sits on the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners UK Chapter committee.
Stephen spent over 2 years training the National Crime Agency and their National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) and has spoken at conferences in the UK, Europe, UAE and SE Asia aimed at both corporate and regulatory sectors including running a special cyber security and OSINT course in Abu Dhabi for ADAA (Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority).
He has written for several well-known publications, including The Sunday Times, Accountancy Magazine, FS Focus, Recovery Journal, Charity Finance, and the Solicitors Journal, and has published a book called Corporate Fraud: Prevention & Detection by Bloomsbury Professional with practical advice on all aspects of fraud and how to prevent it. Stephen is also the director of Fraud Training Ltd and exclusive training provider in the UK for the ACFE Certified Fraud Examiner qualification.
James Earp
Consultant
James is a Chartered Accountant specialising in fraud investigation and obtaining recoveries for victims in insolvency cases. James was a partner in Grant Thornton UK LLP and a practice leader in the Fraud Insolvency Division and then prior to his current position, was Head of Forensic and Fraud at PKF Littlejohn LLP. His experience covers a wide spectrum of cases, including civil fraud, Insolvency Act breaches, investment fraud, asset recovery and proceeds of crime.
David Springer
Board member, London Fraud Forum
Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Services
David worked for Lloyds TSB for 42 years until he retired in 2003. During his career he was Chief Manager of the Corporate Banking Division, and at the time of his retirement he held the position of Regional Director, Business Banking. Since then he has established his own successful consultancy, Imperial Services, which offers compliance consultancy to general insurance companies on FCA and other regulation - a critical element of which is risk assessment. He also provides business and financial mentoring. He is a member of the Federation of Small Businesses. David is Vice Chairman of REEAC a tri-service employer engagement Committee, Vice Chairman of IAG the Police Advisory Group, a member of the Committee of ESCT (Emergency Services Career Transition Services) and Chairman of ICRTM a company which manages a block of flats in Torquay.
Sandra Killion
Membership Secretary, London Fraud Forum
2006 - 2021
Sandra worked for Dun & Bradstreet for nearly 40 years. Before taking early retirement she was the Fraud Liaison Manager, having worked in a variety of roles including data operations, customer services, global sales and finance. For 30 years Sandra was the liaison contact for law enforcement agencies, and held the position of Fraud Liaison Manager for over 13 years. Sandra remained active in a voluntary capacity on the board of the London Fraud Forum until she retired on the 14th October 2021 after holding the position of Secretary, London Fraud Forum for 15 years.