Director, Financial Crime and Compliance, EMEA & Asia

Director, Financial Crime and Compliance, EMEA & Asia

Sotheby's

Sotheby's is the premier destination for auctions and private sales of Contemporary, Modern & Impressionist, Old Master Paintings, Jewelry, Watches, Wine, Decorative Arts, Asian Art & more.

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail.

THE ROLE

This role will report to the Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy General Counsel, Global Head of Litigation and will assist with developing, implementing and managing all aspects of compliance in EMEA & Asia, including providing advice to business groups and senior stakeholders on compliance related matters affecting Sotheby’s business in these regions. This position will have a particular focus on financial crime compliance and will include undertaking the role of Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO).

To be successful in this role, the individual must be an experienced certified compliance professional or a qualified lawyer with extensive experience in financial crime compliance. They should have exemplary communication skills and experience in designing and implementing cross-border compliance programmes.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for financial crime compliance in EMEA & Asia, including anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist and proliferation financing (AML/CTPF), sanctions, and anti-bribery and corruption (ABC);
• Acting as MLRO and performing all associated responsibilities, including developing and managing Sotheby’s internal suspicious activity reporting processes and record-keeping;
• Developing, maintaining, and reviewing Sotheby’s business-wide risk assessments, policies, and procedures in relation to financial crime;
• Continuous development and implementation of Sotheby’s systems controls, policies, procedures, and tools to mitigate financial crime risk;
• Managing and developing Sotheby’s KYC Analyst team;
• Act as point of escalation to advise on onboarding of new clients and review of existing clients and their transactions;
• Oversight of regulatory affairs in the relevant region;
• Maintaining in-depth knowledge of relevant financial crime and corporate offence regulations;
• Assisting with developing and delivering an education and training programme for employees;
• Providing accurate and timely advice and guidance on compliance policy areas;
• Assisting with designing and implementing procedures to monitor and audit the efficacy of the Compliance program;
• Supporting senior stakeholders on larger projects;
• Ensuring appropriate record retention and management.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES

• 8 plus years of either (a) compliance experience in the regulated sector with relevant qualifications or (b) post-qualification experience in a regulatory and/or financial crime practice area at a leading UK or European commercial law firm;
• Previous experience of being an MLRO and/or of implementing cross-border compliance programmes;
• Proficiency and experience in using relevant screening tools;
• Experience in transaction monitoring, particularly of blockchain transactions;
• Excellent analytical and written skills;
• Ability to assess and balance commercial and regulatory risks;
• Excellent relationship management and people skills;
• Professional and calm manner; able to multi-task and prioritize;
• Additional language skills helpful;
• Art law/art industry experience is not required.