About Our CEO
A qualified Chartered Accountant with more than two decades of experience in Advisory Services at KPMG and PwC in London. He served as the MENA Regional Head of KYC Services for HSBC Bank Middle East and subsequently assumed the position of Senior Director as the Global Head of Client Due Diligence at HSBC Bank.
Currently, Faisal heads AKW Consultants and has led projects for several banks and organisations globally in Financial Due Diligence, Business Consulting, Regulatory Compliance, AML, and developing an Anti-Fraud Framework. In addition, Faisal leads the Tax, Audit, Accounting & Internal Audit Services in the UAE and manages clients across the Middle East, UK and Europe.
Faisal is a recognised Subject Matter Expert on AML Compliance. He is an Expert Trainer and a visiting Professor at the London Institute of Banking and Finance and runs specialist courses under the Abu Dhabi Global Markets.
- Panelist at US-MENA conference (2022) at Federal Reserve Bank of New York about the importance of PPP, Country level National Risk Assessments & MER, & adoption of UBO standards including DNFBPs
- Performance Based Budgeting modules to 200+ senior officials at the UAE’s Finance, Strategy, & Budgeting departments
- Level 3 & 4 International Banking Certification course for UAE Tier 1 bankers
- Trained the investigators at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in UK on AML and Offshore Integrity
- AML Compliance Training to 300+ Financial Institutions and DNFBPs over the last 7 years
- Moderator at the UAE Corporate Tax Forum panel discussion held in Dubai on 15 September 2022
- Training on Transfer Pricing, OECD BEPS Pillars, IFRS, Financial Reporting, Liquidity & Financial Risk Management, Forecasting, Budgeting, & Reconciliation for the largest UAE Oil Company
Our Team
Our Team includes mostly prior Big4 experienced staff who are qualified Compliance and Risk Specialists, Chartered Accountants, Indirect and Direct Tax Experts, GCC Tax Specialists, Auditors, ex-Bankers, Strategy Consultants, and Lawyers with significant UAE and International experience
The Compliance Consulting team manages engagements on AML Compliance and Due Diligence, Responsible Sourcing and Supply Chain Reviews as per the OECD Guidelines, Draft Policies, Procedures, and Business Contracts, Compliance Monitoring & Sanctions Review, Risk Management, Corporate Governance, Forensic & Fraud Investigations, AML Training and provide outsourced Compliance Services
The Tax, Accounting, & Audit team specialises in Tax Procedure Follow Ups, VAT Return Filing & Refunds, Corporate Tax, Transfer Pricing, International Taxation, Accounting Supervision, Outsourced Accounting, Internal Audit, Annual Financial Statement Audit, Liquidation of UAE Companies, and Training
The depth of our local and international experience and industry insights led by the approachable team can help our valued clients find solutions to reach their business goals