KWASI OBENG-BANAHENE
Southampton,Hampshire
Summary
Accomplished and diligent professional with expertise in compliance and regulatory knowledge, management and regulatory reporting, and strategic planning. Demonstrate strong analytical skills and problem-solving abilities, ensuring effective oversight and governance. Proven track record in team leadership and management, enhancing internal controls evaluation and relationship management. Excellent communication and presentation skills to facilitate successful collaboration across diverse teams. Career goals include leveraging strategic planning capabilities to drive organisational success. Adept at fostering culture of compliance through training, policy development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
19
19
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Senior Manager, Global Ethics and Compliance
Carnival Corporation
Southampton
06.2025 - Current
- Economic Sanctions Programme Lead within Carnival Corporation's Global Ethics and Compliance Third Party Risk Management team, overseeing management and monitoring economic sanctions screening programme, and ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements from OFAC, EU, UK OFSI, UN, and other applicable regimes.
- Spearheading the leadership and oversight of activities that ensure adherence to carnival corporation's economic sanctions compliance policies and bolster global ethics and compliance initiatives.
- Developing, maintaining, and enhancing sanctions policies, standards, procedures, and controls across in Carnival Corporation, as well as overseeing the global sanctions risk assessment, ensuring timely identification of emerging risks and regulatory changes impacting the firm.
- Developed regular strategic board reporting metrics and executive briefings to provide comprehensive analyses on economic sanctions, fostering informed decision-making within the firm.
- Collaboration with stakeholders at all levels within Carnival Corporation including the various brands and operating units to identify, assess, monitor and report on compliance risk to senior internal stakeholders (including brand leadership up to the Board of Directors).
- Supporting Global Ethics & Compliance continuous improvements by tracking external criteria for new General Compliance requirements, laws, expectations and best practices, including the external benchmarks of effective corporate compliance programs, as noted within the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, other relevant governmental guidance (such as U.S. DOJ), and Carnival Corporation requirement.
- Responsible for the creation and maintenance of compliance guidance for business units required to undertake screening activities including Global Ethics and Compliance team members involved in reviewing potential sanctions alerts to ensure robust and consistent processes.
- Working collaboratively with other senior leaders in the General Compliance team in the design and implementation of monitoring programmes to assess the effectiveness of management’s procedures for compliance with the Economic Sanctions Compliance Policy.
- Overseeing Carnival Corporation's sanctions screening processes (including guests, vendors, banks, crew members, transactions, vessels), as well as managing sanctions investigations to ensure timely resolution, documentation, and remediation.
- Elevated awareness of global ethics and compliance programme within Carnival Corporation through strategic stakeholder education regarding relevant economic sanctions issues and topics.
- Engaged with corporate legal to deliver detailed guidance on sanctions controls and compliance measures, clarifying implications for crew sourcing and travel restrictions.
- Communication of 'Sanctioned Parties' lists to various business stakeholders within Carnival Corporation to ensure compliance with international sanctions requirements and guideline, while maintaining a focus on continuous improvement of the firm's Economic Sanctions Compliance Programme.
SENIOR COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATE – UK COMPLIANCE
LemFi
Remote
01.2024 - 06.2025
- Ensured compliance policies, procedures, training, and documentation were up-to-date and aligned with UK and Global AML regulations.
- Developed and maintained comprehensive guidance and standard operating procedures for the firm’s business units and internal compliance stakeholders involved in AML, sanctions screening and alert review, ensuring consistency and regulatory alignment across the firm’s operations. This ensured that controls were embedded in relevant business processes within the firm.
- Led and managed all regulatory and independent AML audits in the UK, ensuring thorough preparation and successful outcomes.
- Prepared comprehensive Management Information (MI) reports and Insights for the Senior Executive team, and provided regular updates to the Board of Directors on global compliance issues and regulatory trends.
- Led periodic Quality Assurance (QA) reviews on sanctions screening processes and alert handling workflows, producing regular reports and metrics to support continuous improvement and regulatory audit readiness.
- Served as the central point of contact for all UK Compliance (AML and sanctions-related) advisory issues within the firm and a liaison for regulators, external audit firms and law enforcement authorities, managing and responding to law enforcement requests including SARs, DPAs and Sanctions related requests.
- Deputized for the UK MLRO in their absence, contributing high-level strategic decisions and providing leadership on emerging sanctions developments and broader financial crime risks as well as representing the firm in high level discussions with stakeholders, and contributed to key strategic decisions of the firm.
- Oversaw the implementation of new regulatory requirements within the Fintech space in the UK, ensuring seamless integration into LemFi’s operations globally.
- Developed, maintained and managed the firm’s AML and risk-based compliance monitoring program, aligning them with global regulatory requirements.
- Developed and delivered comprehensive staff training on compliance issues ensuring the firm remained compliant with regulatory requirements including AML and KYC, thereby reinforcing a culture of regulatory awareness and risk ownership.
- Provided strategic compliance advice on the application of global sanctions regimes, money laundering, fraud prevention and bribery issues while ensuring compliance with UK AML regulations. Also acted as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on emerging financial crime trends and regulatory requirements.
- Managed and mentored the firm’s junior compliance staff, particularly those focused on UK-related compliance responsibilities, fostering a strong compliance culture within the team.
Assistant Manager - Risk Assurance
Gen II Fund Services (formerly Crestbridge)
Southampton
02.2023 - 09.2023
Compliance Risk Management Senior Associate
JP Morgan Chase & Co
Bournemouth
10.2021 - 01.2023
Global KYC QA (Regulatory Compliance)
JP Morgan Chase & Co
Bournemouth
01.2018 - 09.2021
Remediation Compliance Consultant
Lloyds Banking Group
Aylesbury
05.2016 - 01.2018
Compliance and Audit Consultant
National Australia Group, Clydesdale Yorkshire Bank
Reading
11.2015 - 02.2016
Associate Corporate Relationship Support Manager
HSBC Bank PLC Corporate Banking
Southampton
09.2014 - 11.2015
Various Roles
HSBC BANK PLC
Southampton
09.2011 - 08.2014
- Wealth Complaints Manager: Aug 2013 - Aug 2014
- Reconciliations Analyst: Oct 2012 - Jul 2013
- Graduate Actuarial Analyst: Sept 2011 - Sept 2012
Marine Engineer/Armed Forces
Ministry of Defence UK
Southampton, Hampshire
03.2006 - 08.2010
Education
Int. Advanced Certificate in Anti-Money Laundering -
International Compliance Association (ICA)
United Kingdom 09.2017 - 06.2018
M.Sc. - Corporate Risk and Security Management
University of Southampton
Southampton 09.2010 - 09.2021
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science with Sociology
University of Ghana
Accra 08.2001 - 06.2005
A-Levels -
Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School
Accra 12.1997 - 12.2000
Skills
- Compliance and Regulatory Knowledge
- Management and Regulatory Reporting
- Problem solving and decision making
- Strategic Planning
- Oversight and Governance
- Team Leadership and Management
- Account/Relationship management
- Internal Controls Evaluation
- Excellent Communication and Presentation skills
- Strong Analytical skills
Timeline
Senior Manager, Global Ethics and Compliance
Carnival Corporation
06.2025 - Current
SENIOR COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATE – UK COMPLIANCE
LemFi
01.2024 - 06.2025
Assistant Manager - Risk Assurance
Gen II Fund Services (formerly Crestbridge)
02.2023 - 09.2023
Compliance Risk Management Senior Associate
JP Morgan Chase & Co
10.2021 - 01.2023
Global KYC QA (Regulatory Compliance)
JP Morgan Chase & Co
01.2018 - 09.2021
Int. Advanced Certificate in Anti-Money Laundering -
International Compliance Association (ICA)
09.2017 - 06.2018
Remediation Compliance Consultant
Lloyds Banking Group
05.2016 - 01.2018
Compliance and Audit Consultant
National Australia Group, Clydesdale Yorkshire Bank
11.2015 - 02.2016
Associate Corporate Relationship Support Manager
HSBC Bank PLC Corporate Banking
09.2014 - 11.2015
Various Roles
HSBC BANK PLC
09.2011 - 08.2014
M.Sc. - Corporate Risk and Security Management
University of Southampton
09.2010 - 09.2021
Marine Engineer/Armed Forces
Ministry of Defence UK
03.2006 - 08.2010
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science with Sociology
University of Ghana
08.2001 - 06.2005
A-Levels -
Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School
12.1997 - 12.2000