Luxembourg, 3 December 2021 – Stéphanie Lhomme has joined Arendt Regulatory & Consulting in the role of Director in order to strengthen Arendt’s advisory services offering to clients in the areas of Forensic Investigations, Anti-bribery & Corruption, and Corporate Intelligence.
Before joining Arendt Regulatory & Consulting, Stéphanie worked at major advisory firms in France, the US and the UK.
Financial crime in the broadest sense is on the rise (fraud, corruption, money laundering, misuse of corporate assets, theft of information and data, etc.). The consequences for targeted companies are manifold, and sometimes very serious. At the same time, regulatory pressure is intensifying and exposing companies to new risks – particularly the risk of sanctions.
It is highly recommended to assess, anticipate, detect and mitigate these risks upstream. But managing an internal investigation, responding to investigations by national or foreign authorities and preparing for legal action require the support of independent experts.
Stéphanie brings this expertise to Arendt Regulatory & Consulting to complement the suite of services Arendt already offers. She serves companies, financial institutions and even law firms as an independent alternative resource for their forensic investigation and detailed due diligence needs.
‘Suspicion or allegations of fraud, corruption or money laundering require responses that are swift, expert and confidential. Authorities and regulators expect their requests to be met with cooperation and the deployment of pertinent, effective investigative resources. Transactions (acquisitions, investments, partnerships, etc.) must be informed by detailed due diligence that goes beyond “checking boxes” and covers a variety of aspects (fraud, corruption, ESG and AML). Finally, “intelligence”, i.e. the search for verified information, is a key success factor in litigation and for asset searches. More than ever, the market is in need of forensic experts’, explains Jean-Marc Ueberecken, Managing Partner of Arendt & Medernach.
Stéphanie Lhomme previously managed the Intelligence, Investigations and Compliance team for France and the French-speaking countries at an international consulting firm. She also held responsibility for the Compliance, Forensic Investigations, Intelligence & Computer Forensics department for Europe and Africa at two other Anglo-Saxon firms, in London and Paris. She has more than 25 years of international experience providing pragmatic assistance to her clients, having spent the beginning of her career in Transaction Services and Restructuring in the US and Europe with the Big Four, from 1996 to 2011.
Stéphanie manages complex assignments for the private sector (corporates, financial institutions, investment funds and insurance companies), as well as for some public institutions. She has assisted numerous clients with fraud and corruption investigations (including with the US, UK and European authorities), the implementation of compliance programmes, risk mapping, asset searches and strategic intelligence, particularly in support of litigation.
‘I am very excited to be joining Arendt. Its positioning is unique in Europe today. The complexity of financial crime issues and their consequences calls for a panel of independent experts who can join forces to meet clients’ needs and provide them with the best legal advice’, Stéphanie said.