What attracted you to your program of study at the BSIA?
At the time, the BSIA stood out to me as a particularly unique program focused on public policy and global governance. The Global Affairs Canada Fellowship and the close partnership with CIGI – and the environment that collaboration creates – were significant factors in my decision to attend. Both played a meaningful role in shaping my learning experience at the BSIA. Looking back now from outside the institution, I still believe that the BSIA offers a uniquely enriching environment for the same reasons.
What exactly do you do in your position?
At a fundamental level, my role involves identifying and anticipating financial crime risks, most notably money laundering, but also related areas such as terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, proliferation financing, and other criminal activity with a financial nexus. This work requires looking inward to understand how our products and services could potentially be exploited by a bad actor. We also look outward to track developments in the regulatory and financial crime landscape, including emerging trends and typologies, with the goal of understanding the impact such developments could have on our financial institution. With this information in hand my team and I draft policies, procedures, controls, and related materials with the ultimate goal of meeting regulatory obligations and to help prevent the misuse of the financial system for illicit purposes. I have the privilege of often ‘holding the pen’ when it comes to drafting policies and positions on AML risk issues and higher risk industries products, and jurisdictions, as well as advising senior decision makers on how to manage such risks.
What was the most impactful experience during your Master’s degree?
It is difficult to point to a single experience that was most impactful during my time at the BSIA, although the Global Affairs Canada Fellowship was certainly a highlight, both in terms of professional development and its uniqueness to the program. More broadly, however, it was the overall environment at the BSIA that had the most lasting impact on my learning and professional life. It is an exceptionally enriching setting, shaped by time spent with your cohort, thoughtful feedback from professors, and regular engagement with practitioners and thought‑leaders from both the BSIA and CIGI.
I distinctly recall for one project, walking over to the CIGI wing of the building to discuss our work with an expert in the area we were focused on for that project, as well as attending the many public events hosted at CIGI that students were encouraged to join. Hearing professionals from across the public policy and global governance space reflect on their work and the issues shaping the world was consistently valuable. The partnership between the BSIA and CIGI provides students with rare exposure to both ideas and individuals, and that exposure played a significant role in sharpening my thinking and understanding of the world. That sort of multi-subject-matter exposure and the critical-thinking skills it nurtures has been an incredible asset throughout my career.
Tell us about your job. How are you making a difference?
Illicit financial activity underpins a wide range of criminal conduct, which makes the financial system an important instrument in efforts to disrupt that activity. Financial institutions and many other private businesses partner with the federal government (predominantly through FINTRAC) for the purpose of fighting financial crime in Canada.
My work focuses on helping define where financial crime risks are most likely to emerge and ensuring institutional attention and resources are directed toward the areas of greatest significance. The research, analytical, and compliance work that my team does informs efforts to ensure AML compliance within the organization, as well as providing intelligence to FINTRAC through established means of reporting suspicious activity.
Money laundering and terrorist financing have real, tangible economic, social, and political consequences in Canada and abroad. AML Risk – my area – plays a central role in defining the most important areas of focus from a financial crime perspective, ensuring the financial institutions AML resources are deployed effectively to disrupt illicit financial flows and reduce the harms associated with financial crime.
What are the next steps in your career progression?
I love my job and the organization I work for. I find my work challenging and engaging, and I work with some excellent people. In terms of career progression, I intend to continue growing and progressing within AML at BMO, where there is significant opportunity for professional development.
Over the longer term, I would also like to apply my AML subject‑matter expertise more broadly by contributing to industry‑focused research and writing, particularly through AML and policy‑related publications that engage with financial crime issues.
What advice would you give to a prospective student considering a Master’s degree at the Balsillie School of International Policy, or a career in Global Governance and International Policy?
Keep an open mind, both in terms of your areas of focus during your time at the BSIA and the paths your career may take afterward. There is a great deal of interesting and meaningful work connected to public policy and global governance, often found in unexpected places. This has certainly been the case in my own career, where I have been able to find a “public policy-like” role within the AML industry and build my personal brand around the transferable skill-set I developed at the BSIA.
Of course, it is important to have a main subject-matter area – or areas – of focus. Live in your main subject-matter area and frequently visit many others; it will sharpen your thinking and develop your overall skill-set. The BSIA is an excellent place to do so.