ACSS Ambassador Program
Connect, Collaborate, and Champion Sanctions and Export Controls in Your Region
Ambassador Program: Strengthening Our Global Sanctions Network
Help Build the Global Sanctions Community
The ACSS Ambassador Program extends the reach of ACSS into cities and regions without formal chapters. Ambassadors are ACSS members who serve as local points of connection, promoting membership and certification, organizing meetups, and fostering professional networks where knowledge and best practices can be shared.
This grassroots presence ensures that sanctions and export control professionals worldwide have access to ACSS resources and support.
As visible leaders, Ambassadors bridge local expertise with ACSS’s global platform. They initiate dialogue with regulators and government agencies, incorporate local perspectives into ACSS programming, and foster peer development through training and outreach.
What Is a Chapter?
Ambassadors are recognized leaders in cities who lay the groundwork for a community to transition into a Chapter. An ACSS Chapter can be created when a city reaches 50 members, serving as a hub for events, training, and collaboration.
ACSS Chapters are volunteer-run communities comprising sanctions professionals in an area. They enable ACSS members to hone their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest developments in sanctions and export trade controls in their respective regions.
Our Current Ambassadors
Panama City, Panama
Munich, Germany
Madrid, Spain
Istanbul, Türkiye
Lisbon, Portugal
Mumbai, India
Warsaw, Poland
Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
Prague, Czech Republic
Richmond VA, USA
Hong Kong
Greece
Boston, US
Italy
Bulgaria
If you are interested in becoming an ACSS Ambassador and willing to assist in building an ACSS chapter for your country or city.
Ms Maria Oliveria, CXS
Mrs. Maria Oliveira engaged on several trainings to Customs officers on dual use items trade and on the European Commission’s outreach on Union restrictive measures on Russia.
She took part of the Portuguese missions to FATF .
Presently she works as well with the EU P2P Program for capacity building in third countries on dual use item export controls. She is an ACSS member and a Certified Export Controls Specialist (CXS).
Martijn Feldbrugge, CSS, CXS
Director
BSCN BV
Haider Mannan
BIGTXN
Haider is a member of PRMIA’s SME advisory expert group on buy-side investment risk and sits on the membership committee of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF).
Wilfredo David Núñez González, LL.M, CSS
Navigate Global Trade Compliance
The nature regulatory compliance in the 21st century demands not only technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the geopolitical, regulatory, and commercial drivers shaping global trade. Therefore, I also stay engaged in topics such as supply chain resilience, tariffs and customs regulations, AML/CTF frameworks, maritime and logistics industry compliance, as well as emerging areas like integration of Agentic AI on Compliance workflows and Digitalization or Compliance Processes — always with an eye on how these integrate and intersect with sanctions and export controls to impact our clients and stakeholders.
When I’m not analyzing a regulation or reviewing a sanctions compliance framework, I enjoy training for long-distance triathlons, reading non-fiction, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and sharing good food and stories with my wife and friends.
Ayse Nur Sanli Kincal
International trade, export controls, economic sanctions and compliance
Ms. Sanli holds an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania and a Wharton Business and Law Certificate, and earned her LL.B. from Galatasaray University. She began her career at one of Türkiye’s top law firms and later practiced in the New York office of DLA Piper LLP (US), gaining extensive experience in U.S. regulatory enforcement and litigation. As a partner at Sanli Law Firm, she leads the firm’s compliance and dispute resolution work, representing clients in international arbitrations (ICC, ICSID, ad hoc) and in matters involving sanctions, export licensing, due diligence, and regulatory risk. She is fluent in Turkish, English, and French.
Mumbai India
Ms. Jasbinder Kaur Neela, CXS
International trade, export controls, economic sanctions and compliance
Ms. Neela embarked on a dynamic career journey, accumulating invaluable experience in various legal and compliance roles. She has held pivotal positions at renowned law firms and global banks, where she played instrumental roles in managing legal and compliance matters, at a regional as well as at a global level. At present, she runs her own firm consulting on legal and regulatory compliance for entities based in India as well as firms proposing to set-up base in India. She has also advised various entities in implementing the framework to prevent financial crime. Ms. Jasbinder Kaur Neela B. Com, LLB, CS, CAMS, CXS
Łukasz Lasek
He is a member of the Warsaw Bar Association, the Law Society of England and Wales, IBA, ECBA and ACSS, and is a certified mediator. He serves on the board of LexMundi and the board of trustees of the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier, Germany, and is a member of the Dean’s Global Advisory Board at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Łukasz Lasek earned his law degree with distinction from the University of Warsaw, where he completed programs in English and European law at the British Law Centre (in conjunction with the University of Cambridge) and in US law at the American Law Center (in conjunction with the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law). He subsequently studied at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Hoba Stephane Arnaud Hostar
Banque Atlantique Côte d’Ivoire, Groupe BCP
of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Karolina Zamecnikova
agencies, and fostering collaboration between government and private sector. Skilled in risk assessment, international cooperation, and project management.
James M. Wright
Along with his regulatory responsibilities, James has served on industry panels and is a popular speaker on topics like anti-money laundering and emerging risks in technology. His consulting assignments included the design and implementation of risk-based compliance programs, staff training on international best practices, and the assessment of internal controls for financial institutions.
In addition to his extensive regulatory and compliance background, James has also led numerous training initiatives for banking professionals, focusing on best practices in fraud prevention, due diligence, and ethical decision-making. His workshops and seminars are highly regarded for their practical insights and real-world applications, empowering financial institutions to meet the highest standards of integrity and accountability.
His international assignments exposed him to a wide array of regulatory environments and banking practices, enhancing his ability to tailor compliance strategies to diverse markets. James’s global perspective has been instrumental in facilitating cross-border collaborations and addressing emerging challenges in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing frameworks.
James collaborated with regulatory bodies and senior management teams to enhance operational resilience and ensure alignment with global standards. His work helped shape policies that strengthened anti-money laundering efforts and promoted transparency across diverse banking environments.
During the period 2009 – 2020, he was a founding member of the ACAMS US Capital Chapter, where he was Chairperson of the Program Committee. He currently advises the Central Asian Research Institute on Corruption and Money Laundering and the American Chamber of Commerce in Kyrgyzstan.
Jocelyn Chow
Head of Competition, Trade and Foreign Investment, Asia
Jocelyn advises global and regional businesses on both contentious and non-contentious competition law, international trade and regulatory matters, ranging from compliance, self-assessments, mergers, review of distribution arrangements, to managing internal investigations, regulatory disclosures, enforcement actions and regulatory proceedings. Jocelyn has extensive experience acting for and engaging with authorities in competition and broader regulatory matters in both Hong Kong and the APAC region, and regularly leads on complex internal and regulatory investigations. She often delivers strategic advice and training to C-Suites based in Hong Kong, Greater China and APAC.
Jocelyn has received wide recognition in the market, including being named on the A-List of China Business Law Journal in the “Growth Drivers (International)” category (2023-24), and recognised as “Next Generation Partner” by Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024 and 2025), “Up-and-Coming” by Chambers and Partners Greater China (2024), “Leading competition lawyer” by Lexology Index Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR (2024), “Commended External Counsel of the Year” by In-House Community (2023), and “Hong Kong Rising Star” by Asian Legal Business (2023).
Jocelyn is often recognised by clients to be “well-rounded” and “very thoughtful and technically able”, combining “genuine subject matter expertise” in competition law and trade regulation with “real indepth understanding” of court (including the Hong Kong Competition Tribunal) procedures, the ability to manage factual and economic evidence and investigation experience. She has also been praised for being “very knowledgeable, hard-working, and client friendly”, her “excellent legal knowledge” and ability to provide “clear, helpful advice on a range of issues” and to handle “the most complex disputes with complete mastery”. She has also been recognised by clients as “an excellent communicator and adept at dealing with internal business clients as well as legal teams”. Her skill set is described by clients as “a rare find” in Hong Kong and Greater China. Jocelyn is proficient in English and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin). Jocelyn was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong (2015) and a Registered Foreign Lawyer in England
and Wales.
Valia Varzaka
KPMG
Director, Forensic- Anti Financial Crime Advisory Services
Previously she was D. Director and served as MLRO & Group Coordinator at one of the four Greek systemic banks, assigned by the BoD the responsibility among others for the design and implementation of the AML/CFT/Sanctions compliance programs for the bank and the group entities. She also participated as representative of the Greek banks, in the financial sanctions experts’ group of European Banking Federation in Brussels and the “SMART Group” of Oracle US Financial Crime experts’ group.
Richard Graham
Practice Lead – Financial Crimes
He is a sought-after speaker in the financial crime space, having presented at numerous high-profile conferences and webinars
Ornella Belfiori
Nctm
Ornella provides practical, day-to-day advice on economic sanctions and export controls issues of all varieties. She is particularly skilled in creating successful strategies for handling trade sanctions enforced by the European Union and OFAC, as well as export controls regimes. She frequently counsels clients in connection with customs-related product classifications and supports them in liaising with competent Authorities to obtain relevant licenses and authorizations.
Ornella regularly advises clients in international enforcement matters, including those arising under the FCPA and other anti-bribery legislations. She gained substantial experience in handling cross-border internal investigations across a broad range of topics including, among others, bribery and corruption, fraud, bankruptcy, and tax crimes.
Ornella also routinely assists multinational companies in designing, developing, and implementing 231 Models, as well as global trade and anti-corruption compliance programs that meet local and international standards (FCPA, UKBA). She regularly supports Supervisory Bodies appointed pursuant to Decree 231/2001 and has been appointed monocratic Supervisory Body of two energy companies.
Ornella is an officer of both the Export Controls and the Export Controls Certification Task Forces of the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS). She participates in conferences and seminars as a speaker and writes on topics of her interest. Her Master thesis, “Towards ‘Intelligent Compliance’: Artificial Intelligence as an Effective Anti-Corruption Tool?”, has been published by IACA.
Radomir Dukov
OpenPayd
Radomir’s academic credentials are extensive and diverse. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Bank Management from the Varna University of Economics, a Master’s degree in Political Management from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, and a Master’s degree in National Security and Defense from the National Military College “G.S. Rakovski.” Currently, Radomir is pursuing a Ph.D. at the National Military College “G.S. Rakovski,” where his research focuses on enhancing Bulgaria’s AML/CFT framework.
His professional qualifications are further solidified by certifications from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the Association of Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), and the Association of Certified Sanction Specialists (ACSS).