Bernd has more than 20 years of experience in compliance and regulation matters for financial services in Europe. He has served as both a banking regulator and as a Chief Compliance Officer. He is the founder and Managing Director of Compliance Networks, a consulting network which supports banks, companies and other organizations in establishing a culture of compliance and ethics. In this capacity he has served as an adviser to the Republic of Austria.

Previously, Bernd was the Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In this role, he focused on due diligence regarding the integrity profile of project parties, the assessment of financial crime, sanctions risks, conflict of interests, tax compliance and project-related investigations. Prior to this, he was Chief Compliance Officer with Erste Bank Group, the market leader for financial services in the CEE region where he was responsible for more than 250 Compliance Officers. Bernd led the Erste Compliance function at the group level with a focus on AML/CFT, Financial Sanction, Conflicts of Interest, ABC, Securities and Markets Compliance (including the regulation for stock-listed enterprises), Fraud Prevention, and Data Protection. He has also held a variety of leadership roles in Compliance at Western Union and has worked as a European regulator for the Financial Market Authority.

Bernd’s practice is focused on Compliance / Ethics program design and governance in promoting a culture of integrity. He is an expert in establishing risk management capabilities in combatting financial crime and corruption. In addition, he provides advice in the area of ESG with a focus on supply chain compliance.