CHINTAN ASHAR

• To organise, oversee, manage and execute the regional financial crime intelligence operations for Transaction Surveillance (TS) and Customer Screening (CS) for UAE and Transaction Surveillance across Middle East countries where Detica has been implemented.
• Professional investigation of cases identified from any source (internal whistle blowing, external escalation, transaction surveillance, compliance monitoring, assurance or audit activities, etc), and manage day to day management of Financial Crime Compliance transaction surveillance / FCC related activities for UAE and Middle East countries.
• To assist management in ensuring that the Business in SCB locations UAE (Hub) and other Middle East countries operates in accordance with all legal and regulatory requirements and all Group standards relating to anti money laundering and sanctions.
• Maintaining country watch lists and responsible for filing Suspicious Activity Report to local authorities post Financial Crime Compliance review.
• Protect and enhance the reputation of the Bank with its regulators and avoid significant financial loss or reputational damage.
• Handle the suspicious or unusual customer activities escalated by the Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Transaction Surveillance (TS) and Customer Screening (CS) Units in Chennai or reported by staff in-country.
• Providing investigative research support to advisory teams as a due diligence measure on highest risk customers.
• Ensure significant issues identified are reported and escalated in a timely manner and regulatory requests relating to AML are promptly attended to.
• Examining transactions across region linking up pockets of suspicious activity or intelligence to provide a consolidated/coordinated view of Financial Crime Risk issue.
• Development of proactive regional intelligence capability able to predict significant Financial Crime Compliance events that may impact the franchise, research these issues, map the relationship/transactional impact, escalate and report findings ahead of time.
• Review and understand (gaining expert knowledge in the process) of country laws and regulations of the Middle East countries that the Dubai hub serves.
• Familiarize with the Bank’s businesses, products, procedures, organizational structure and internal money laundering requirements.
• Have a good knowledge of the Group, the Policies, Procedures and Standards relating to Financial Crime Risk, as well as knowledge of the local regulations and legislation on AML/CTF and sanction.
• Subject matter knowledge on Know Your Customer, Anti-Money Laundering

• Managing the AML policies and procedures to ensure that they are up to date with changes in regulations and industry practices.
• Liaising with the Regulator, Group Compliance and fund administrators on AML related matters
• Increased share wallet and improved profitability of the customer base by penetrating wealth management products
• Provide advice on recruitment strategies, procedures, legislation and market conditions where required
• Establish and maintain relationships with hiring managers to stay abreast of current and future hiring and business needs
• Screening applications and select candidates
• Efficiently managing various client instructions such as foreign remittance for gifts, freight inward & outward payment, professional & consultancy fees, etc.
• Address domestic and NRI client walk-ins, effective management of customer relationships & anticipation of customer’s financial needs
• Oversee and Manage critical Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Reporting’s
• Accountable for Bank’s AML policy monitoring/reporting of any such suspicious instances
• Ensure 100% adherence to Bank’s compliance policy by proactively handling any legal notices received from the Court, CBI, Tax Authorities, Governing bodies (Police dept.)
• Participated in the development, implementation and ongoing compliance monitoring of all investment, insurance and other banking transactions
• Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation and also conduct or direct the internal investigation of compliance issues.
• Monitor SWIFT File on daily basis and effectively coordinate on all cut off based rate sensitive transactions between Client, Treasury, Fund Transfer Unit and Trade Department.
• Adept at ensuring the financials of the branch are under control and the branch adheres to the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) norms at all times
• Preparing Investment and Insurance Surveillance Report for the branch on a monthly basis
• Assured compliance & control under Regulatory / Statutory Acts by organizing and finalizing audits

ACHIEVEMENTS
• Honoured with “Star Performer Award” in 2011 for my outstanding and beyond expectation performance
• Accomplished Branch revenue targets, by converting the Home Loan lead of USD 450, 000 and thus achieved 30, 000 bonus points too
• Recognized for successfully implementing contingency plan on Business functioning for the Branch

• Partner with hiring managers to determine employment needs and to facilitate an effective/efficient recruiting effort.
• Utilize a variety of recruitment resources including referrals, databases, websites, social media, LinkedIn and networking events to attract qualified candidates.
• Manage the entire recruiting process from planning and sourcing to candidate screening and employment offer.
• Conducting interviews for various departments
• Assist hiring managers in developing or modifying job descriptions for new positions.
• Training and grooming new team members for various departments
• Facilitate corporate Action Events such as Demergers, Dividends, Takeovers & Stock split etc. by maintaining internal database through coordinating with global Stock Exchanges viz. London Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Frankfurt and BSE
• Assist in updating data manuals, liaise with IT Department to send out price alerts to the clients, supervise and organise work shifts of the team members
• Foster client relationships with major investment banks, brokerage houses, hedge fund administrators by providing timely data on worldwide Corporate Action Announcements such as Mergers, Subdivisions and Takeovers
• Efficiently handle client queries on SEDOL and assist making necessary changes in data by coordinating with LSE
• Having comprehensive knowledge of Corporate Actions such as IPO, Buy back, Company meeting, Dividend Reinvestment Plan, Entitlement
• Effectively prepare weekly reports to identify Corporate Action Events missed by the data providers and decide the continuity or termination of their yearly contracts

ACHIEVEMENTS
• Appreciated for delivering excellent service to the clients, by suggesting improvements in the existing software models, expanding product range and geographic coverage

• Efficiently handled customer queries and provided instant feedback/ support
• Advised customers to buy specific products, provided feedback and assisted them to buy correct products
• Increased sales by selling add-on’s like warranty to customers, thus developed as excellent front-line customer service executive
• Accountable for till operation and cashing up at the end of the day
• Productively worked under pressure in the busy retail sales environment


ACHIEVEMENTS
• Enrolled 260 members within 2 weeks during a marketing drive