Former Regulators and Big Four Alumni Join Growing Global Advisory Firm in Austria and Germany, Strengthening its Investigations and Anti-Fraud Offerings
FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global advisory firm StoneTurn is expanding its footprint in DACH with the addition of Kristof Wabl, previously a Big Four Partner, and Steffen Salvenmoser, CFE, a former judge, German public prosecutor and founding member of a Big Four firm's German Forensic Services practice. Together, Kristof and Steffen bring nearly 50 years of on-the-ground experience in compliance, financial crime, and forensic investigations to StoneTurn's rapidly expanding DACH team. They have advised regulatory agencies such as BaFin and FMA, among others, and assisted financial institutions on compliance, anti-money laundering and sanctions matters. Kristof and Steffen join the firm's Frankfurt-based team led by Partner Julia Arbery, LL.M who previously worked as part of the team supporting the Department of Justice (DOJ)-appointed Independent Compliance and Business Ethics Monitor to Deutsche Bank and also, on the Forensic Adviser team supporting the DOJ-Appointed Independent Compliance Monitor and Auditor of Volkswagen AG.
"The pandemic has created and sustained an environment in which fraudulent activity and corporate misconduct are on the rise," said Christopher Martinez, StoneTurn's Co-Founder and Managing Partner. "At the same time, businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are struggling to navigate heightened regulatory scrutiny, an evolving political landscape and an uptick in whistleblower activity overall. As companies find their activities called into question by government agencies locally and in the EU, as well as the public at large, Kristof's and Steffen's significant experience overseeing and mitigating high-profile investigations will be an asset to clients."
Kristof has overseen large-scale, sensitive internal investigations and gained significant experience working alongside international law firms, regulators and law enforcement agencies. While with a Big Four firm for 14 years, he built and led the firm's Forensics & Crisis practice in Vienna, led internal control review engagements, and also assisted clients in improving compliance processes. With his law background as well as experience in leading cross-border assignments throughout Europe and the U.S., Kristof serves as a trusted adviser to businesses across a range of industries. Particularly, he advises on internal controls and governance frameworks, designs and implements whistleblower programs, and recommends remedial actions. In addition to his work with StoneTurn DACH, Kristof currently leads the task force focused on Whistleblowing for the Austrian Chapter of Transparency International.
Steffen Salvenmoser, a former judge and German public prosecutor, brings more than 30 years of compliance and regulatory experience to advise clients on all aspects of risk, including the design, implementation and review of compliance management systems. With a focus on financial crime and forensics, Steffen helps clients strengthen aspects of their compliance processes, performs risk assessments, implements whistleblower programs and designs policies and procedures. In addition, Steffen has led a number of complex internal investigations in Germany and abroad. He is a lecturer at the Fresenius University of Applied Science in Wiesbaden and a member of the German Business Ethics Network's board of trustees.
StoneTurn, a global advisory firm, assists companies, their counsel and government agencies on regulatory, risk and compliance issues, investigations and business disputes. We serve our clients from offices across the U.S., U.K. and in Germany, Brazil and South Africa, assisted by a network of senior advisers around the world. To learn more, visit StoneTurn.com.
Contact:
Melanie Keenan
Director of Marketing at StoneTurn
mrener@stoneturn.com
