Advisory Board
Guiding the Sanctions Profession
Guided by an Advisory Board of distinguished experts, ACSS is dedicated to providing its members top quality education, career development programs, and other membership benefits – including information exchange and peer networking – to help in advancing their skills.
Through professional certification and qualifications, ACSS members stand out as leaders in the field.
Clay Stevenson
Advisory Board Chair Managing Director | Global Head of Sanctions & Embargoes
Deutsche Bank USA Core Corporation
Clay Stevenson is Global Head of Sanctions & Embargoes at Deutsche Bank. Previously he was an independent consultant specializing in economic sanctions matters, assisting clients in a variety of industries navigate the challenges of fast-changing requirements. Prior to starting his consultancy, from 2009 to 2017 Clay was Managing Director and the Global Economic Sanctions Executive for Bank of America Corporation, responsible for the company’s economic sanctions and anti-boycott compliance efforts, as well as a stint leading its anti-bribery / anti-corruption and Code of Ethics programs. From 2007-2009 Clay had responsibility for economic sanctions compliance at Merrill Lynch. And from 1999-2007, Clay served with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), working first in the Compliance Division and later what is now the Office of Global Targeting, the group responsible for OFAC’s sanctions designation activities. Among his roles while at OFAC, Clay served as the first Chief of the Counter-proliferation Section within the then-Designation Investigations Division where he led a team of sanctions investigators charged with targeting the assets of weapons of mass destruction proliferators and their support networks, with particular focus on North Korea and Iran. Clay received his BA from the George Washington University and his MA from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Matt BellSenior Managing Director - Practice Leader of Export Controls & Sanctions
FTI Consulting
Matt Bell is a Senior Managing Director and the Leader of the Export Controls & Sanctions offering in the Forensic & Litigation Consulting (FLC) segment at FTI Consulting, and he is based in Houston. He specializes in international trade compliance including export controls, economic sanctions, antiboycott, and related US and global regulations.
Mr. Bell helps his clients build or enhance their trade compliance programs through procedural enhancements, audits, and trainings that are properly benchmarked to leading practices.Mr. Bell also has experience overseeing large and highly complex global investigations in some of the most challenging regions of the world. His specialization is honed through his experience as a senior in-house counsel for several organizations that committed significant resources to designing and implementing world-class trade compliance programs. As a result, he advises his clients from a unique perspective that balances compliance with these highly complex laws and regulations with the practical realities of implementing his advice in the day-to-day operations of the company.
Mr. Bell has extensive experience advising clients on the complex regulations related to encryption controls, de miminis analyses, second incorporation rule application, and sanctions regulations, especially as they apply to avoiding business in sanctioned jurisdictions or with sanctioned parties, as well as in wind-down of operations in sanctioned jurisdictions. His expertise spans across several industries including energy, telecommunications, technology, and aerospace/defense, as well as for both US and non-US companies with extensive global operations.
Mr. Bell has made his career building best-in-class compliance programs under intense government scrutiny including extensive experience working with the US Departments of Justice, Commerce, and Treasury as part of government investigations, civil and criminal settlements, and helping companies through the rigors of government-mandated audits and monitorships. Mr. Bell also advises on compliance with the export control regulations administered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy, and Department of State.
Prior to FTI Consulting, Mr. Bell held senior legal and compliance positions in major multi-national companies in the telecommunications and energy industries, including having served as a chief compliance officer, senior global anticorruption counsel, global trade compliance counsel, and regional compliance counsel for these organizations. Much of his work with these companies occurred during investigations related to and as a result of record-setting settlements with various US government agencies related to FCPA, export controls, and sanctions violations. Mr. Bell started his career in consulting with international trade practices in two of the Big 4 consultancies.
Mr. Bell is an active member in the American Bar Association, Section of International Law and serves on advisory committees for both Trace International and the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists.
Kester MeijerDirector Operational Integrity, Compliance & Safety | Integrated Safety & Compliance Manager
KLM CARGO
Kester Meijer, a key member of the KLM Cargo management team, is recognized for his profound expertise in the air cargo transportation sector, particularly in the areas of international sanctions and trade restrictions. With an extensive Air Cargo Supply Chain Logistics, Compliance, and ICT background, Kester excels in leveraging this unique skill set to engage effectively with global stakeholders and drive innovative concepts.
His work extends beyond traditional logistics; Kester advocates for the transformative power of Data, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Blockchain in the industry. He foresees a future where Smart Borders and advanced pre-check systems revolutionize the air cargo journey, ensuring efficiency and compliance with international regulatory standards.
Kester's leadership was instrumental during the Covid crisis. Collaborating closely with the VP of Worldwide Ops and the Director of the Cargo Control Center, he played a crucial role in rapidly transforming global operations. He is responsible for the shift towards a more pre-emptive risk-based approach based on shipment and entity data, linking it to sanction regulations in multiple jurisdictions, which has been widely recognized by industry and international enforcement agencies like Dutch Customs, US CBP, BIS, OFAC, and the UN.
His areas of responsibility include compliance and safety and a deep involvement in customs, sanctions, security, and environmental issues. Kester is actively engaged in combating challenges like Counterfeit goods and Wildlife protection. He plays a vital role in the Cargo Knowledge Center and represents the industry in various forums, particularly in pioneering Artificial Intelligence Risk Advisory innovations. His expertise and actions in strategic, military, and dual-use goods, along with his keen insights into the latest developments in Sanctions, mark him as a leading figure in navigating the complex international landscape of trade restrictions in air cargo transportation.
Kester is an active member of ACSS, contributing to the ACSS Benelux Chapter and as a speaker at ACSS conferences. In addition, he promotes the ACSS membership, certification, and services at other critical international industry events and with his peers at other airlines. Within his company, multiple colleagues have become members (Benelux, Singapore) and acquire certification. He participated in the ACSS 5th Annual International Conference on Global Sanctions and Export Controls in New York in October 2023, demonstrating a keen interest in sharing knowledge and network opportunities.
Jacqueline SantosSenior Vice President Enterprise Compliance
Bank Secrecy/Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions
PNC Bank
Ms. Santos is responsible for Global Sanctions and AML Regulatory control programs at PNC Bank. As Senior Vice President and Enterprise Sanctions Officer, she is responsible for managing the compliance teams that support Sanctions Compliance. She has AML compliance oversight for Trade Finance, PNC Foreign Offices and AML Special Programs. Ms. Santos’ over 30 years’ experience with PNC Bank has involved a number of compliance leadership positions in support of the Corporate and Institutional Bank, Treasury Management and Bank Operations including direct management of Funds Transfer Operations and Large Currency Reporting. She has coordinated and lead integration activities for several mergers and acquisitions specific to Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering compliance programs. Ms. Santos has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Kean University and is a current member of the Women’s Business Resource Group.
Ms. (Dipl. Ing.) Tatjana DobrovolnySenior Expert Compliance Programs and Systems Solutions
Raiffeisen Bank International Group
Tatjana Dobrovolny is a Senior Subject Matter Expert for Compliance programs and system solutions for the prevention and detection of financial crime. Her expertise includes AML and CTF/FiSa topics, particularly in the context of transaction monitoring and data analysis across the Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) Group. Tatjana is the senior advisor for design and implementation of global RBI Group standards, procedures, and efficient and effective IT systems with focus on innovative solutions.
She is also a member of the advisory board of the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS) and member of the SWIFT Financial Crime Compliance Advisory Group (FCC-AG).
Tatjana is with Raiffeisen Compliance for almost 20 years serving also in sensitive data analytics and forensic investigations, having a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade.
Before joining RBI, Tatjana worked for almost 10 years in the IT development as a program manager for the implementation of a banking product for reconciliation of Nostro payment and custodial accounts.
Francisco Rapp
Chief Compliance Officer, Sanctions and Anti-Bribery
Citi
Mr. Rapp heads Citi’s Sanctions and Anti-Bribery Compliance programs. In this role, he manages a global team of subject matter experts responsible for the design and implementation of Sanctions and Anti-bribery enterprise-wide compliance risk-management frameworks. He also provides specialized advice and support to Citi businesses with guidance on compliance issues in the 100+ countries in which the firm operates. Mr. Rapp is responsible for the design and oversight of Citi’s Sanctions and Anti-Bribery Policies and Standards. In addition, he is Citi’s liaison with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and a member of the advisory board of the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS). He has been with Citi for over 20 years, serving in various Internal Audit, Risk Management and Compliance roles at country, regional and corporate levels. Before joining Citi, he held positions as financial controller, audit manager and other senior advisory roles in international companies. Mr. Rapp holds a CPA degree from the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and holds an Master in Finance from the Centro de Estudios Macroeconomicos (CEMA) of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Robert WalshDeputy Chief Compliance Officer and Global Financial Crime Officer
AXA Group
Bob Walsh is the Deputy Chief Compliance Officer and Global Financial Crime Officer for AXA Group. AXA provides insurance, investment management and banking in over 50 countries. His main focus is ensuring compliance with international laws on anti-money laundering, international sanctions, bribery and cross-border tax evasion.
His outside activities include:
1. Industry consultation to the Financial Action Task Force and the US Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group
2. The Financial Crime Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors
3. Chairing the Sanctions in Insurance Roundtable, comprised of most major global insurance companies
Bob started his career at an international bank, and had subsequent roles as a securities regulator, and as an executive at an innovative technology firm.
Bob has a Political Science degree from McGill University, a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. He is based in New York.
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