Before you invest investigate.

Or, maybe you’ve already made an investment and it’s not working out.

We undertake projects anywhere in the world where people speak English, French or German. My team and I can help you manage risk with in-depth research, politely termed KYC (Know Your Customer) or Integrity Due Diligence (IDD), or simply ‘corporate investigations‘.

Sometimes a client just wants us to check out a person or a company so that they can make a more informed decision. Or, our research is a part of ‘regulatory compliance‘ ahead of a major transaction, or before appointing an executive or member of the board. Whatever the case, we always to alert the client to red flags or anything that could lead them to a dumb mistake.

We specialize in the part of risk management known as ‘source inquiries‘ (or ‘Humint‘ in CIA lingo): My team and I seek out sources — people with knowledge of the subject. The sources may be former employees, managers and investors. They may be competitors, customers, regulators, or industry experts. It’s not always easy to get people to talk. 

We use public records, google and AI but only for background. Our job is to find information that is not publicly available.  

Sometimes the client wants an ESG — Environmental Social and Governance approach? Other times they want to know straight up if the subject is associated with money laundering, sanctions breaches, human rights abuses, anything that smells of corruption, criminality or immorality. Are whether there PEPs — Politically Exposed Persons?

I’ve honed my investigative and interview skills as a journalist working for major international news outlets. It’s often best to start with unassuming questions: Is the subject doing well? Is the investment well managed? How is the market? What are the  challenges? If the source seems willing, the questions get harder. 

Then the work begins. It is the level of detail that makes us the best at what we do. My team of researchers and writers go through every word a source has said, pointing out the smallest contradiction if it could be relevant. We pride ourselves accurate, concise, easy to understand write ups, with careful footnoting.

We are often just a small cog in the machine. We work with some of the world’s biggest risk consultancies, but also boutiques and individual consultants. They must be people we know and trust especially if they are intermediaries for end clients whose identities we may never know.

My consultancy is based in the glorious West African Republic of Ghana but I have lived and worked all over Africa as well as in Germany, Australia and New York USA. Our reports are strictly confidential, so very few people ever get to read them. But we must be doing something right as we keep getting lots of interesting projects.

Please contact us if you think we can help you.