About Aperio

Bruce Glazier — Senior Advisor

Bruce joined Aperio in 2023 as Advisor – Latin America.

He is currently the Chairman of Fex Agro’s (an agricultural input and animal protein distributor in Brazil) Advisory Board and was a member of the executive team. In the latter capacity, he was responsible for Institutional Relations and Sustainability.

His previous experience includes capital raising, turnaround management, M&A, debt restructuring, extensive valuation of businesses and assets, capital structure assessment, debt / equity refinancing, asset tracking and investigations. Bruce has advised several companies on ESG issues. He also has a twenty-year experience in the Agribusiness sector.

The first sixteen years of his career were spent in banking with Hill Samuel, Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ) and Singer & Friedlander Limited. Bruce is a Certified Board Member who has a BA in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University (USA) and a MSc in Finance from London Business School. He has lived, worked and/or studied in Brazil, Colombia, Spain, USA and England and is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish with a working knowledge of French. He is currently based in Brazil and has dual nationality Brazilian/British.

Peter Meedom — Head of Western Europe Practice

Peter is an Associate and heads our Western Europe practice, having joined the company in 2022. Prior to joining Aperio, Peter worked as a senior compliance officer at a major Scandinavian financial institution, focusing on anti-money laundering, tax evasion and sanctions.

Peter previously served in the Danish Army, with experience in intelligence and security sector reform. He holds a PhD from the University of Oslo and an International Diploma in Anti Money Laundering (ICA).

He speaks Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, German, French and Russian, and has a working knowledge of Italian and Ukrainian.

Pierre le Jeune D’Allegeershecque — Head of sub-Saharan Africa Practice

Pierre is a Senior Associate heading Aperio’s sub-Saharan Africa practice. He joined Aperio in 2022. Pierre previously worked in the London office of an international consulting firm as well as a London-based boutique business intelligence firm. He has led and worked on pre-transactional and disputes support assignments across Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone Africa.

Pierre holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian and has professional proficiency in Romanian and Arabic.

Veronika Konečná — Head of Russia, CEE & Central Asia Practice

Veronika is the head of Aperio’s Russia, CIS and CEE team. She leads complex due diligence projects with a focus on politically exposed individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and sanctions. She has worked on numerous investigations and due diligence projects covering state-owned entities and individuals close to local political elites.

Prior to joining Aperio in 2017, Veronika worked for an NGO in Slovakia, focusing on democratisation and development in Eastern Europe, and previously for a multinational financial services corporation. She has on-the-ground experience in Russia, where she worked as a consultant for a global development institution.

She holds a master’s degree in Russian Studies from University College London and a bachelor’s degree in Russian and East European studies from Comenius University. She is fluent in Russian, Czech, and Slovak. Veronika is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Larissa Normanton — Head of Middle East & North Africa Practice

Larissa Normanton leads Aperio’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) practice, having joined the company in 2019 as a Senior Associate. Larissa manages and conducts a wide range of primarily MENA-focused but multi-jurisdictional investigations, strategic intelligence projects and due diligence assignments for corporates and financial institutions.

Larissa has spent a considerable amount of time living and working in the Middle East, including in Amman, Muscat, Dubai and Jerusalem, and speaks Arabic. Prior to joining Aperio, Larissa acted as a geo-political, security and intelligence consultant supporting both UK entities operating in the Middle East and Middle Eastern entities operating in the UK – including the UAE Embassy in London with a geopolitical consultancy, and the British Embassy in Jordan with a security and risk management firm. Larissa started her career on the Middle East desk of a private bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Cambridge. Larissa is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Felicia Alexandru — Senior Associate

Felicia has led Aperio’s Romanian based due diligence team since 2021, having joined in 2019 as an associate editor of the Financial Crime Digest, producing and editing content for compliance professionals in financial institutions on all aspects of financial crime.

Prior to joining Aperio, she worked for the British Embassy as a senior political officer. Her main responsibilities included justice reform, rule of law and anti-corruption work. She also spent two years managing the public integrity and anti-corruption programmes of a leading Romanian NGO.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science for the National School of Political Studies in Bucharest and a master’s degree in International Relations and European Studies from the Central European University in Hungary.

Alexander Kottke — Senior Associate

Alex is a Senior Associate, with responsibility for team and client relationship management. Alex joined Aperio in 2018 to cover German speaking countries, and went on to head the Western European practice until 2022, leading various extensive due diligence programmes and overseeing bespoke investigative projects into the present.

He previously worked as a translator and researcher, notably as an analyst for the consumer goods and services industries.

Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in German & History from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in International Relations & History from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Alex is fluent in German, with intermediate knowledge of Dutch and Spanish.

Belinda Teh — Senior Associate

Belinda joined Aperio in 2021 and leads our team in Malaysia. She has over 15 years’ experience in the due diligence industry. Prior to joining Aperio, she was with a multinational risk management services company where she headed the Asian enhanced due diligence research team that was based in Malaysia. She is experienced in managing due diligence assignments in Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

Simeon Birkett — Senior Associate

Sim joined Aperio in July 2019 and is a Senior Associate in the due diligence team. As a senior member of the due diligence team, he manages and conducts multi-jurisdictional due diligence projects and complex investigative assignments, primarily across Western Europe, North America, and APAC, and leads on internal quality assurance initiatives.

Prior to joining Aperio, Sim spent three years in the Philippines as an independent consultant, providing research and analysis to corporate research firms on subjects across Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa. He was previously an analyst and senior analyst at a boutique corporate investigations firm in London, where he worked on a broad range of research projects, including pre-IPO due diligence, asset tracing, and country risk investigations.

Simeon holds a bachelor’s degree in Ancient History from The University of Birmingham and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

Radu Ciurba — Associate

Radu joined Aperio in 2018 as a member of the due diligence team. He supports the company’s work in multiple jurisdictions. His responsibilities include developing the internal apparatus associated with the research processes and optimising the tools utilised in day-to-day business.

Prior to joining Aperio, Radu worked at a US multinational BPO provider. Before that, he worked on various research projects related to energy policies, civic education, and democratisation with Cluj-based think-thank Center for the Study of Democracy. He also studied electoral behaviour as part of a sociological research start-up.

Radu holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj. He speaks Romanian and has intermediate knowledge in French.

Zsuzsánna Deák — Associate

Zsuzsánna supports Aperio’s work in the Central and Eastern European and Southern Europe regions.

Prior to joining Aperio in 2016, Zsuzsánna worked for a number of NGOs and was a teaching assistant at the Department of Hungarian Literary and Linguistic Studies at Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB).

She holds two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree in Hungarian literature and linguistics from UBB, where she is also currently reading for a doctorate in the same subject.

Kärt Botos — Associate

Kärt performs enhanced due diligence reviews of high-net-worth individuals and companies mainly across Russia, CIS, and Europe. She has a strong regional interest in the Baltics and the Western Balkans. Her work at Aperio has included assisting with an internal investigation of a multinational financial institution in connection with its operations in the Baltics as well as human source-led due diligence in Serbia.

Prior to joining Aperio in 2019, Kärt worked as chief specialist at the Estonian Land Board and as an editor for a Romanian company.

Kärt holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of Tartu, Estonia. She speaks Estonian, Romanian, and Russian.

Zsuzsánna Balázsi — Associate

Zsuzsánna is a member of Aperio’s due diligence team. Since joining Aperio in 2019, she has conducted a number of complex public record and human source due diligence projects involving companies, financial institutions and individuals across various jurisdictions. Her recent work at Aperio has also included assisting with an internal investigation of a financial institution in connection with employee misconduct.

Prior to joining Aperio, Zsuzsánna worked as a project coordinator at a Romanian company specialised in investment management and grant management. Prior to that she spent several years working for one of the largest youth organisations in Romania.

Zsuzsánna holds two bachelor’s degrees: one in Law and one in International Relations and European Studies from Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj. She speaks Hungarian and Romanian and has a working knowledge of German and Swedish.

Luis Losada Simón-Ricart — Associate

Luis leads Aperio’s Latin American and Iberian practice. Prior to joining Aperio in 2020, he worked for a political international business risk and intelligence company. Luis has also worked for the UN in East Africa and Central America in anti-corruption and anti-human trafficking projects.

Luis holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and Political Science from University Complutense of Madrid and a master’s degree in International Conflict Studies from King’s College London.

Luis is fluent in Spanish, with working knowledge of Portuguese.

Kijade Choong — Senior Analyst

Kijade is a Senior Analyst at Aperio Intelligence, having joined the team in 2021.

She has over 9 years’ experience in the due diligence industry. Prior to joining Aperio, she was with a multinational risk management services company where she led a team of enhanced due diligence research analysts based in Penang, Malaysia. She is experienced in managing due diligence assignments in Asia Pacific.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Curtin University, Australia.

Yuen Yuen Cheah — Senior Analyst

Yuen Yuen is a Senior Analyst at Aperio Intelligence, having joined the team in 2021.

With over 6 years of experience in the AML and financial risk industry, she has worked extensively on enhanced due diligence and background screening projects with a major focus on the APAC region.

Yuen Yuen has a background in journalism and has full proficiency of Chinese and Malay languages.

Oana Irimia — Senior Analyst

Oana is a member of Aperio’s sub-Saharan African team, having joined in 2020 as a content writer for the Financial Crime Digest.

Oana previously worked for a Bucharest-based legal publisher as a legal editor.

She holds a MA degree in Development Studies from the University of Bucharest and a BA degree in European Law from the Nicolae Titulescu University in Bucharest.

She is fluent in Romanian and French, with intermediate knowledge of Spanish.

Nina Penzel — Senior Analyst

Nina joined Aperio’s Western European team in 2021, focusing on German speaking regions.

Nina graduated from from the University of Durham with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a master’s degree in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding.

Nina is bilingual in German and English.

Ana Junghiu — Analyst

Ana is an Analyst in the Western European regional team, based in Bucharest.

Prior to joining Aperio in 2022, Ana worked as a researcher for an international regulatory and financial crime, risk and compliance company. Ana’s responsibilities included conducting customer due diligence, identifying deficiencies, discrepancies and escalating any risk factors across various jurisdictions.

Ana received a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Bucharest, with a focus on archeology and paleoanthropology.

Ana speaks Romanian, French, Spanish and Italian.

Vassili Tsarenkov — Analyst

Vassili is a member of Aperio’s Russian, CEE and Central Asian Practice. Prior to joining Aperio in 2022, Vassili had a decade of experience in the arts and culture industry, working as a gallerist, art dealer and publisher.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Russian Studies from University College London, a master’s degree in Finance and Corporate Strategy from Sciences Po Paris, and a graduate diploma in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Vassili is fluent in French and Russian.

Tamara Moule — Analyst

Tamara joined Aperio’s Russian, CEE and Central Asian Practice in 2022, having previously completed her postgraduate degree while working as an academic research assistant. Tamara studied English and French (BA) at the University of Exeter, followed by Environment, Development and Politics (MSc) at the University of Birmingham. She speaks English, Russian and French.

Andreea Moise — Analyst

Andreea is an Analyst within Aperio’s Western Europe practice.

Prior to joining Aperio in 2022, she worked for a global regulatory and financial crime, risk and compliance company.

Andreea holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Bucharest.

Andreea is fluent in Romanian, with working knowledge of German.

Haslin Anthony — Analyst

Haslin joined Aperio in 2021 as an Analyst She has considerable experience of business intelligence, with a focus on enhanced due diligence and background screening in the Asia Pacific region.

Haslin holds a bachelor’s degree in Literature Studies from the University of Science Malaysia and is fluent in Malay languages, with working knowledge of Indonesian.

Mairi Bocker — Analyst

Mairi is an Analyst within Aperio’s Western Europe practice. Prior to joining Aperio in 2022, she worked as a teacher of French and Italian in secondary schools across London and Essex. Mairi has also worked on behalf of the British Council in Guadeloupe, the French-speaking Caribbean island.

Mairi holds a bachelor’s degree in French and Italian from the University of Leeds and a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education in Secondary French and Italian from University College London.

Mairi is fluent in Italian and French, with a basic knowledge of Spanish.

Nicola Hope — Analyst

Nicola is an Analyst within Aperio’s Middle East and North Africa practice. Prior to joining Aperio in 2022, she spent time living in both Qatar and Jordan, and worked for an NGO that seeks to provide support to Syrian academics who face immediate danger or have been forced into exile. She also worked as a Middle East research assistant at King’s College London in conflict-prevention and peace building projects.

Nicola holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic from the University of Edinburgh and a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies from King’s College London.

Nicola speaks Arabic and Italian.

Andrei Vasii — Analyst

Andrei joined Aperio in 2022 as a member of the due diligence team. He supports the company’s work in multiple jurisdictions.

Prior to joining Aperio, he worked at two India-based services company, and a Chinese technology company.

Andrei holds a bachelor’s degree in Norwegian and Chinese Language and Literature from Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, and a master’s degree in International Relations from Tongji University in Shanghai. He speaks Romanian, Norwegian and Chinese.

Francesca Povey — Analyst

Francesca is an Analyst within Aperio’s Middle East and North Africa practice. Prior to joining Aperio in January 2023, Francesca studied Arabic and Spanish at the University of Cambridge and spent time living in Amman, Jordan.

Oliver Miles — Analyst

Oliver is a member of Aperio’s MENA team practice. He graduated from Exeter University with a Master’s in Arabic and Islamic Studies during which time he spent a year in Jordan. Oliver wrote his dissertation on the reasons behind resilience of authoritarian regimes after the Arab Spring. After graduating he spent half a year working in the anti-counterfeiting industry before joining Aperio in January 2023. 

Vidu Gunnooa — Office Supervisor/PA

Vidu is in charge of the day-to-day running of the London office, providing first hand support to the team and client assistance. With over 12 years’ experience in various industries, Vidu previously worked at a London corporate law firm and at the French Embassy in the UK.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Sunderland.

David Shoup — Senior Associate (Editor), Financial Crime Digest

David is a Senior Associate, Editor of Aperio Intelligence’s Financial Crime Digest.

David joined Aperio in 2020, having previously worked as a freelance journalist, taught English in Japan, served as editor of a Romanian news magazine, and directed a documentary film in Vietnam on reconciliation between US and Vietnamese veterans.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Tulane University and a master’s degree in cultural history from Leipzig University.

Oana Gurbanoaia — Associate Editor, Financial Crime Digest

Oana joined the Financial Crime Digest’s editorial team in 2019.

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Bucharest, and with a master’s degree in Criminal Sciences from the Romanian Police Academy.

Oana speaks Romanian and English, and has intermediate knowledge of Spanish and Italian.

Roger Hamilton-Martin — Financial Services Journalist, Financial Crime Digest

Roger joined Aperio as a London-based reporter in the Financial Crime Digest team in 2021.

He has worked as a journalist for several publications in New York, London, and Washington DC since 2013, with reporting focussed on international politics, corruption and finance.

Diana Vasile — Junior Editor, Financial Crime Digest

Diana joined Aperio Intelligence in 2021 as a Content Writer for Aperio Intelligence’s Financial Crime Digest.

Prior to joining Aperio, Diana worked as an European affairs counsellor for the Ministry of Environment of Romania. She contributed to the decision-making process at the European Union and international level by representing the Romanian state during meetings on international environmental issues of European institutions and of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Diana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Bucharest and a Master’s degree in European Union Law.

Agnes Nicolescu — Junior Editor, Financial Crime Digest

Agnes joined the Financial Crime Digest’s editorial team in 2022, having previously worked as an Advocacy Project Manager with Habitat for Humanity Romania and as a Senior Associate on Sustainalytics Romania’s Enhanced Research Corporate Governance team.

Recent research interests include corruption, economic regeneration issues as well as land rights and associated challenges in the Global South.

Agnes has authored articles and op-eds for national and international policy magazines, including for the Centre for European Policy Studies’ Institutes Network (CEPS- EPIN).

Agnes is fluent in English and French, and has working knowledge of Italian, in addition to her native Romanian.

Bianca Hanganu — Content Writer, Financial Crime Digest

Bianca joined the Financial Crime Digest’s editorial team in 2022.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and a master’s degree in Public International Law from the University of Bucharest.

Bianca speaks Romanian and English, and has intermediate knowledge in German.

Adrian Ford — CEO

Adrian is the CEO and founder of Aperio Intelligence.

Prior to establishing Aperio in August 2014, Adrian spent over 20 years at KPMG LLP, including over 15 years’ experience with KPMG’s Forensic team in the UK. At KPMG, Adrian pioneered the creation of technology-supported, global due diligence services.

Adrian has significant experience in conducting corporate intelligence and forensic investigations. This includes some of the largest ever asset tracing investigations, contentious disputes work, forensic and fraud investigations, and advising on a large range of complex regulatory matters. He has worked for high net worth individuals, leading global corporations and governments.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Leeds and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Christopher Peters — COO and Data Protection Officer

Christopher joined Aperio in 2018 as a director and Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Christopher has substantial experience in the corporate intelligence field, having previously worked for Veracity Worldwide, G3 and The Risk Advisory Group. Christopher also has particular expertise in the real estate market, having worked for CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield. He spent 7 years in Moscow (2005 – 2012) and is a fluent Russian speaker.

Prior to joining Aperio, he was a partner at Citrica LLP, where he was involved in undertaking integrity due diligence in relation to the real estate and local authority sectors. Christopher holds an MA Hons in Russian with International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, and a postgraduate Masters in Transition Economics from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL. His early career was in investment banking. Christopher also has an interest in sub-Saharan Africa, having lived for ten years in Sierra Leone and Zaire (DRC) as a child.

Oliver Brind — Head of Business Development

Oliver joined Aperio in 2018 as Head of Business Development.

Oliver was previously at GPW, where he was responsible for business development and case management. Oliver began his career at Cazenove, where he first worked in the institutional sales and research department, before being appointed Managing Director of Cazenove Australia. On his return to London, he was responsible for Cazenove’s relationships with the private equity industry. Oliver worked for The Prince of Wales as Director of Development for The Prince’s Charities Foundation (2004 – 2010), with particular responsibility for its international programme. In 2010, Oliver joined Credit Suisse’s private bank in the UK, where he was responsible for managing private clients’ assets and leading a team of relationship managers, and then moved to Walker Crips, an independent investment manager in 2012.

Oliver has an MA in History from the University of Cambridge. He has a working knowledge of French and Italian. He knows Africa well, having lived in Uganda, Mauritius, Somalia and Malawi.

Yan Li — Head of People

Yan is Head of People Development and Innovation at Aperio Intelligence, having joined the team in 2017.

She has over 15 years’ experience in the business intelligence industry. Prior to joining Aperio, Yan was based in Hong Kong for 10 years where she headed due diligence and research teams for Hong Kong’s largest non-for-profit organisation and for Asia’s largest enhanced due diligence company. She has also worked in London for a Forensics team of a leading advisory firm and a business intelligence and investigations firm where she conducted and managed various global corporate intelligence, litigation support, asset tracing and integrity assignments.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chinese and economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Didier Rafidiarimanda — Head of Paris branch

Didier is the head of Aperio’s Paris branch, having joined in 2022.

Prior to joining Aperio, Didier led the Australian Defence Export Strategy in France and Western Europe at an Australian trade promotion agency. He previously held several positions in strategic intelligence for TotalEnergies, as well as for a leading French corporate intelligence firm. Didier’s work focused on the challenges and opportunities faced by the defence, aerospace and energy industries.

He holds a master’s degree in International Affairs and International Security from Sciences Po Paris and a master’s degree in International Public Law from the University of Pantheon Assas Paris 2.

Didier speaks French and Italian.

Pompiliu Tamas — Operations Director (Romania)

Pompiliu serves as Operations Director for the Cluj-Napoca office. Prior to joining Aperio in 2017, he worked for ten years as a Senior Political Officer at the British Embassy in Bucharest. He has gained significant experience in economic and political analysis with a particular focus on financial services and EU affairs.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics and Economics from the University of York and a master’s degree in international studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

Gunita Thethy — Associate Director and Head of Due Diligence

Gunita joined Aperio in 2020 as an Associate Director and Head of Due Diligence.

Prior to joining Aperio, Gunita was based in New Delhi for three years where she led the business intelligence team for a global risk management firm. Gunita was responsible for delivering on a range of complex assignments across due diligence and litigation support in South Asia. She also worked in Tokyo and Singapore for five years with a US-based business advisory supporting clients on reputational and integrity concerns. Gunita has also worked in journalism and market intelligence with a focus on the Asian markets.

Gunita holds a Master’s degree in Asian Pacific Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chinese and Japanese Studies from the University of Leeds.

Kim Gozzett — Senior Advisor

Kim currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Pension Insurance Corporation Plc, where she is responsible for the operations of the company. Kim joined Aperio’s advisory board in May 2018.

She has substantial industry experience, having previously served as Managing Director of SG Hambros Trust Company for 17 years, where she was responsible for the Corporate Private and Charitable Trusts, including their accounting, tax and investment management. She also established SG Hambros Financial Services Limited and was a Board Director of many of the Bank’s subsidiaries and client companies. She latterly ran the Bank’s London Human Resources. Kim has held a wide range of non-executive director roles across multiple sectors, and has led negotiations on M&A transactions to successful conclusion.

José Ugaz — Senior Advisor

José Ugaz is a lawyer by training and the former chair of Transparency International (2014-2017). He is a founding partner of Benites & Ugaz, a first-class white-collar and criminal law practice in Peru. José has served as a legal adviser to a series of Peruvian governments and led various special anti-corruption commissions as an ad-hoc state attorney. Notably, he served as the special prosecutor in a string of successful high-profile cases for corruption and human rights abuses against the former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori. José has also taught at the law faculty of La Católica, Peru’s foremost university, for several years and retains a seat on its board of governors.

José is currently a member of Proética, the national chapter of Transparency International in Peru. He is also a member of the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (The Institute for Press and Society), a leading NGO in Latin America promoting independent investigative journalism, and regularly writes op-ed articles on corruption in Spanish and English language news outlets. José joined Aperio’s advisory board in May 2018.

Natasha Buchler — Head of ESG

Natasha joined Aperio in February 2023 as Head of ESG.
 
Before joining Aperio, Natasha led Akojo Market, an e-commerce platform championing ethical African designers. Natasha has considerable experience of the corporate intelligence and ESG fields, having previously worked both for consultants and in an in-house capacity.
 
Natasha is included in NatWest’s WISE100 list of the UK’s most influential women in social enterprise and impact investing.
 
Natasha holds a joint honours bachelor’s degree in History and American Studies from Nottingham University.