Ken Brander, CFE, CAMS
Ken Brander, the President and principal consultant for Clarium Fraud & Compliance Solutions Ltd., is a recognized subject matter expert in fraud and money laundering. He is one of the very few Canadian police officers to have held both the CFE and CAMS certifications, qualifications he still holds. Ken also provides expert litigation support and training services. Internationally, Ken works with governments and non-governmental agencies, like UNODC, to help develop good governance and anti-corruption practices by training investigators in nations like Afghanistan, Botswana, Malawi, and other African Commonwealth countries.
-
CompanyCompany
-
Ken BranderKen Brander
-
CertificationsCertifications
Background
Ken Brander founded Clarium Fraud & Compliance Solutions in 2014 after finishing a distinguished 25-year career with the Edmonton Police Service.
Ken’s police experience included serving as a detective in specialized areas investigating:
- fraud and economic crime,
- money laundering,
- organized crime,
- proceeds of crime,
- prostitution,
- sexual assaults,
- human trafficking, and
- drug trafficking.
In 2011, Ken served 9-months with the Canadian Police Contingent investigating money laundering, corruption, and terrorist financing with the Afghan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC) in Kabul, Afghanistan. His last posting before retirement was with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) where he successfully stood up ALERT’S Anti-Money Laundering Detail.
Fraud Investigations
After founding Clarium, Ken’s first client was the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Amid the fallout of an unfolding corruption scandal dubbed “Cashgate”, Ken accepted a 60-day contract to provide specialized fraud, corruption, and major case management training to Malawi’s police and anti-corruption investigators. Ken reinforced the training with one-on-one coaching and advised investigators on specific Malawi corruption and fraud investigations.
Not all of Ken’s work has involved large-scale political fraud and corruption. He has successfully investigated occupational and personal fraud complaints throughout his career as a police officer and as a consultant. While the damage to a national economy caused by endemic corruption can be crippling and persistent, Ken understands that the losses suffered by a small business due to occupational fraud and asset misappropriation can be fatal. Clarium is particularly sensitive to the impact fraud could have on your business. Big business or small, government ministries or family-owned, international or local, Clarium has the experience and skills to help you detect, deter, and investigate fraud.
WORKPLACE CONDUCT
There is increasing judicial scrutiny about what constitutes a sufficient workplace investigation. Courts and adjudicators have high expectations for the quality and fairness of investigations involving workplace misconduct. As is the case with criminal investigations, it is the workplace investigation itself and the competency of the investigator that are really on trial. Many allegations of workplace misconduct can be successfully investigated in-house by an employers human resource professionals. But there are occasions when the allegations and the risks to the employer require the expertise of a professional external investigator.
Ken, and his consortium of diverse retired police detectives, have the training, experience, and ability to successfully investigate all manner of allegations. Clarium brings actual and perceived neutrality to workplace investigations and assessments. Ken and his consortium colleagues are each expert interviewers who bolster their training each year to stay sharp with current developments in techniques and legal decisions. They are experts at successfully conducting difficult workplace investigations involving allegations of sexual misconduct by people in a position of authority such as supervisors, teachers, and coaches.
REGULATORY INVESTIGATIONS
As a consultant, Ken has provided extensive investigative support to clients engaged in the fields of regulatory and administrative law. His diverse clientele includes the Regulators and the Regulated. He has conducted regulatory investigations for health care professions, the teaching profession, and for those groups and individuals involved in Alverta provincial and local elections (contributions, disclosures, and advertising).
Litigation Support
For the legal practitioner, Clarium provides the best in professional and credible investigative support for civil fraud litigation. Clarium knows what it takes to investigate fraud, bribery, and corruption properly. Trust Clarium for:
- Witness interviews,
- Witness management,
- Case analysis,
- Investigation,
- Exhibit management,
- Suspect interviews,
- Anton Piller and Norwich Orders,
- Report writing, and
- Court testimony
Anti-Corruption
The space where political theory meets reality is often complex, opaque, and dangerous. Patience, persistence, and a strategic approach to building strong and legitimate investigations are the keys to progress. Over the last few years, Ken has earned experience on the front lines of the fight against corruption. He has instructed, coached, and helped investigate corruption cases in Afghanistan and Africa. The hands-on lessons he has learned shape his approach to anti-corruption investigations and capacity building.
Ken has also developed an impressive global network of professional colleagues including prosecutors, criminal analysts, and criminal investigators, each of whom brings unique expertise to the anti-corruption effort.
Training
Ken has instructed on fraud, money laundering, corruption, and investigative skills at local, national, and international conferences and classrooms. (Please delete recent assignments and presentations, 2014, and 2013). Ken is committed to improving his skills as an investigator and as an interviewer. Since 2012 he has earned at least 20 hours of annual continuing professional education (CPE). His records are retained and available to clients to review.
Publications
- ‘Afghanistan: A Detective’s Story’ ACAMSTODAY, Fourth Law Enforcement Edition JUNE-AUGUST 2014, Vol.13 No. 3. Available online with ACAMS subscription at http://acamstoday.org/.
- ‘ACAMS Today Interview Atuweni Phiri: CAMS AML in Malawi’ ACAMS TODAY, September-November 2014, Vol. 13 No. 4. Available online with ACAMS subscription at http://acamstoday.org/wordpress/2014/08/28/atuweni-phiri-cams-aml-in-malawi/
- ‘Terrorist Financing, Money Laundering, and the Canadian Jewellery Industry: How’s Your Compliance Regime?’ Jewellery Business Magazine, December 2014. Available online at http://www.jewellerybusiness.com/
- ‘Diamonds: A Criminal’s Best Friend’ ACAMSTODAY, December 2014- February 2015, Vol. 14 No. 1 Available online with ACAMS subscription at http://www.acamstoday.org/wordpress/2014/12/09/diamonds-a-criminals-best-friend/
Request a Consultation
"*" indicates required fields
