2 Mins
Having done my chartered accountancy training in the Edinburgh Office of a Big Four firm, I transferred to the London offices of the same firm, to continue my career in London. I worked on large PLC audits and also had the opportunity to work in the former Yugoslavia, predominately in Croatia auditing banks.
An opportunity for a secondment to the then Litigation Support Unit was available; I took it. I was given a case that was ‘bound to settle’. Personalities got in the way and the case ran. It became England’s longest-ever civil trial at the time. I found myself in the deep end and I managed to swim. In fact, I rather enjoyed the work.
Further opportunities arose with working in Switzerland on what was called the Nazi Gold Investigation or the Volcker Commission. This involved the identification within the selected Swiss Banks of the deposits made by victims of Nazi persecution and then understanding what happened to these deposits.
I also worked in Ukraine on an investigation into the use of IMF money by the National Bank of Ukraine. Other highlights involved giving evidence to a Treasury Select Committee in Portcullis House advising the UK government on possible dormant accounts legislation.
Work in Edinburgh with Henderson Loggie’s Forensic Accounting team is equally challenging and just as gratifying. The values that allowed me to succeed to date are the same values embedded within the Henderson Loggie culture.
