Digital Transformation Risk Management

Josef Khayat Phone: 1-469-***-****

Dallas, TX ********@*******.***

Professional Summary:

Results-driven AML/KYC executive with 21 years of global experience in financial operations, risk management, and compliance. Proven success in leading and developing large-scale teams across diverse functions and geographies, driving digital transformation, and optimizing compliance processes to enhance efficiency and regulatory effectiveness. Recognized SME across Wholesale Banking, Capital Markets, Commercial Banking, and Wealth Management. Adept at managing high-risk programs, regulatory audits, and strategic change initiatives while fostering a customer-centric compliance culture. Highly experienced in regulatory frameworks including USA PATRIOT Act, BSA/AML, OFAC, MAS, and HKMA. Core Competencies:

AML/ KYC Compliance & Regulatory Governance

Global Client Onboarding Strategy & Delivery

Client Onboarding, Periodic Reviews & Event Triggers

Global Banking, Financial Crime Prevention & Investigations

Risk Assessment & Mitigation Strategies

Digital Transformation & Process Optimization

Leadership Development & Stakeholder Collaboration

Oversight of Internal & External Audit

Strategic Planning & Operational Excellence

Liaison with Law Enforcement & Regulatory Bodies

Data-Driven Insights & Decision-Making

Professional Experience:

Bank Of America Singapore

Jan 2023 to Dec 2024 SVP- APAC Lead of KYC Refresh Reviews Governance & Control Program

Led a cross-border team of 48 KYC/AML Subject Matter Experts in Singapore and Manila, alongside 43 offshore analysts, to execute 10,000+ KYC refresh reviews across 12 APAC jurisdictions, ensuring timely completion of review cycles.

Streamlined end-to-end KYC processes, improving turnaround times by 30% while ensuring full adherence to regulatory requirements and enhancing client experience.

Served as the escalation lead for complex KYC cases, resolving regulatory, documentation, and operational issues in coordination with Compliance, Front Office, and Operations.

Designed and rolled out performance KPIs and quality controls, doubling team productivity and driving a measurable uplift in review accuracy and consistency.

Spearheaded global stakeholder engagement to align KYC Refresh execution with enterprise-wide risk appetite and local regulatory obligations

Developed an efficient, audit-ready response framework, ensuring 100% compliance with internal controls and external regulatory deadlines.

Directed daily operations for KYC Refresh teams, overseeing exception management and ensuring timely resolution of high-risk cases.

Collaborated with AML Compliance and Business stakeholders to plan and monitor annual KYC Refresh populations and ad hoc remediation efforts.

Managed end-to-end issue resolution across Front-Line Units, Financial Crime Compliance, and Operational teams, ensuring a risk-based, consistent approach to KYC handling.

Fostered a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement, leading to marked increases in team engagement and performance metrics.

Reviewed and delivered data-driven reporting packs for Global Senior Leadership and Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs), supporting governance and decision-making. Self-employed Dallas, Tx

Sep 2021 to Jan 2023 Co-founder and Director of Royal Builders Inc: Real Estate Investments & Developments.

Co-led the development of a 23-acre lot of commercial real estate projects completed in December 2022.

Assisted in acquiring and developing a 9-acre lot where 80+ townhomes will be built. HSBC Commercial Banking (CMB) Singapore

Feb 2017 to May 2021 Executive Director- Head of Middle Office Team- Onboarding & CDD Governance

Oversaw a 47-member Middle Office team responsible for onboarding, periodic reviews, and event-driven CDD, delivering over 400 profile reviews and 140 new client onboardings monthly while maintaining a low 3% rejection rate.

Reengineered end-to-end onboarding and periodic review processes, improving quality by 80% and reducing turnaround time by 77% in under six months.

Successfully cleared a backlog of 4,000+ periodic reviews by scaling up review operations and enhancing data quality controls, processing an average of 400 Client profiles per month.

Led the consolidation of 14 legacy paper-based forms into a streamlined digital CDD master form, reducing process redundancies by 60% and increasing first-pass completion rates.

Chaired weekly governance meetings with key stakeholders, including the CMB Head, COO, FCC, AML Compliance, Sanctions, and Business Segment Leads, to align on KYC targets, blockers, and regulatory changes.

Directed digital transformation initiatives focused on KYC and onboarding automation, significantly reducing manual dependencies and improving customer experience.

Successfully passed all internal and external regulatory audit reviews since 2017.

Developed actionable plans around people’s capability that are aligned with HSBC’s business strategies and drive change in people’s proficiency.

Conducted regular risk control assessments and ensured the team's full adherence to AML policies, operational risk standards, and local/global regulatory requirements. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A Singapore

May 2014 to Feb 2017 Vice President: Wholesale KYC Renewals & Risk Governance Manager

Led a high-performing team of 30 professionals managing High-Risk client record renewals, achieving 100% compliance with internal policies and regulatory standards.

Streamlined KYC due diligence processes, resulting in a 35% reduction in renewal processing time while reinforcing overall risk control.

Acted as Subject Matter Expert (SME) on KYC/AML policies, client structures, and financial products, guiding Renewals and Client Due Diligence teams.

Partnered cross-functionally with AML, Sanctions, Investigations, and Business units to proactively identify and mitigate regulatory risks.

Monitored end-to-end client review progress, facilitating issue resolution through ongoing engagement with key stakeholders and ensuring timely record completion.

Escalated complex regulatory and reputational risks to AML Compliance, ensuring critical issues were addressed promptly and thoroughly.

Led enhancements to procedures and technology platforms under tight regulatory deadlines, aligning operations with evolving compliance expectations.

Developed and delivered training programs, onboarding and mentoring new Case Leads and support staff to ensure consistent quality and knowledge transfer.

Citi Private Bank (CPB) Singapore

Mar 2013 to May 2014 Vice President: Singapore Head of Onboarding & CDD/KYC Controls

Managed an 11 SME team conducting periodic reviews, ensuring full compliance with Global KYC and AML standards.

Led the APAC region’s integration into Citi’s global KYC initiative, aligning regional requirements with global compliance mandates.

Digitized onboarding workflow and introduced Concierge Services, cutting manual processing by 50% and improving response times.

Leveraged my experience in Capital Markets and Private Banking to draft a process plan that can map client types across Citi businesses/systems for Citi KYC initiatives.

Banking on the achievements in the creation of the first North America KYC Refresh team in New York, spearheaded the creation of APAC’s first Periodical Review Support team.

Acted as APAC point person, driving business relationships with AML/Compliance teams in the region to ensure that CPB APAC met its regulatory obligations. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (CGMI) New York, NY

Aug 2010 to Mar 2013 Vice President: AMERICAS KYC & Clients Onboarding Manager

Led the Americas KYC team of 17, responsible for completing CIP Program requirements, compiling and analyzing KYC profiles for new business relationships, and managing the KYC refresh process.

Acted as U.S. KYC point person providing regional expertise to the bank’s global Citi KYC initiative; this includes analysis and assessment of the KYC requirements for the progression of the global Citi KYC initiative and the extension of the KYC process to new business areas.

Designed and implemented North America’s first KYC Refresh team of 10 SMEs; created the timeline for each stage of the project, the hiring process, preparing training materials, and monitoring the progress of all new joiners.

Worked closely with the business, AML Compliance, and Technology to shift the KYC process to the Customer Acquisition Due Diligence (CADD) System. Responsible for providing feedback on KYC requirements and workflow testing of the KYC process in the eCADD system.

Reduced KYC request backlog by 40% and onboarding time by 55%, and a 15% improvement in self- monitoring quality checks passed. All while receiving satisfactory internal and external auditor ratings. Barclays Capital Inc (former Lehman Brothers) New York, NY Sep 2008 to Aug 2010 KYC/Clients Onboarding Analyst - Risk Integration & Controls Alignment

Led the integration of Barclays KYC policies and standards post-Lehman Brothers acquisition, aligning legacy systems and onboarding procedures with new regulatory frameworks.

Performed Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) and KYC screening for new, existing, and prospective clients, ensuring compliance with AML regulations and internal standards.

Managed onboarding and KYC renewals using Barclays’ GAOS platform while concurrently supporting Lehman’s legacy system; executed timely and accurate client outreach and documentation collection

Fostered strong relationships with Institutional and Capital Markets Middle Office teams, delivering training and guidance on updated KYC and documentation requirements.

Diligently reviewed client-submitted documentation to ensure adherence to Barclays’ AML policies and U.S. Patriot Act requirements.

Performed in-depth data mining and research across regulatory databases and internal sources to complete accurate KYC profiles.

Reviewed legal documentation to validate complex client structures, including Hedge Funds, SPVs, Personal Holding Companies, and non-profit organizations.

Lehman Brothers Inc New Jersey City, NJ

Jun 2007 to Sep 2008 Senior Analyst – Client Identification & Documentation

Led global KYC remediation efforts for Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), partnering with Legal, Compliance, and Sales teams to successfully update over 24,000 client profiles.

Performed comprehensive due diligence through both documentary and non-documentary research to ensure compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act and AML regulations.

Collaborated cross-functionally with Sales, Middle Office, and Credit teams across global locations to obtain client data, resolve discrepancies, and ensure onboarding accuracy.

Owned the end-to-end KYC/CIP onboarding process, including completion of client profiles and execution of all necessary background checks.

Forex Capital Markets, LLC New York, NY

Feb 2006 to Jun 2007 Compliance Associate

Assisted in AML supervision, conducted investigations into suspicious fund transfer activities to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Reviewed KYC profiles and handled the background checks using various compliance software/programs such as Lexis-Nexis, Complinet, World-Check, and Accurint.

Monitored accounts managed by money managers, identifying discrepancies and ensuring full compliance with internal policies and external regulations.

Reviewed and approved marketing and promotional materials, ensuring that all materials adhered to regulatory standards and company guidelines.

Investigated client complaints and managed account-related requests, providing timely resolutions in compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.

Conducted due diligence on Introducing Brokers, including a review of their marketing and promotional materials to ensure regulatory compliance and mitigate potential risks. Aug 2004 to Dec 2005 Operations Specialist

Managed daily fund inflows and outflows from merchants and retail clients' accounts, ensuring accurate and timely.

Processed over 200 payments daily, including checks, ACH, credit card, and wire payments, maintaining efficiency and accuracy in financial operations.

Assisted institutional clients via email, live chat, and phone.

Collaborated with the dealing desk, compliance, and the controller’s office to verify funds transfers by the company’s policies and government regulations.

Reconciled daily transactions through FXCM’s proprietary ledger system and various ad hoc accounting functions, such as creating and analyzing accounts payable, receivable, open trades, and other reports.

EDUCATION Baruch College, Zicklin School of Business New York, NY Bachelor of Business Administration - Finance and Investments

Overall GPA: 3.30 Major GPA: 3.75

Languages

Fluent: Arabic, English, and Italian Proficient: French Additional Information

Extensive global experience: Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, North America

Passionate about driving innovation in AML/KYC processes and Compliance technology

U.S. Citizen

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