A full house for our masterclass/workshop on Combating Online Fraud in Northern Ireland on Thursday 26th March 2026
Combating Online Fraud in Northern Ireland Thursday 26th March 2026 9:00 - 11:30
Northern Ireland Fraud Forum is bringing the conversation on online fraud front and centre this March — and you’re invited.
On 26th March 2026, we’ll be gathering at The Merchant Hotel, Belfast for a focused, practical masterclass on Combating Online Fraud in Northern Ireland. Registration opens at 9:00am, with the programme kicking off at 9:30am sharp, and we’ll wrap up by 11:30am — concise, purposeful, and worth your morning.
We’re delighted to confirm a senior speaker from Danske Bank, offering insight from the frontline of financial crime prevention. We’re also delighted to announce that we’ll be joined by Ruth McAlister, a renown forensic investigator with several years experience in tracking down international online fraudsters and cyber criminals, and Ronan Convery from the Consumer Council NI who advise and advocate on your behalf here in Northern Ireland.
We’ll also hear from our Chairman, Bill McCluggage, who will be providing details on current online fraud activities, the recently launched Report Fraud service that replaces Action Fraud and the new UK Government Fraud Strategy 2026-2029 from a Northern Ireland perspective.
A further additional speaker is currently being confirmed, ensuring a well-rounded and relevant discussion alongside the opportunity to network with peers.
Guiding the morning will be Linda McAuley, former BBC Radio Ulster presenter of On Your Behalf — a familiar voice to many and a champion for consumer protection. Expect straight talking, informed discussion, and no fluff.
This won’t just be a “sit and listen” event. We’ll be running an interactive breakout session where delegates will work together to generate practical ideas on how Northern Ireland can better prevent, detect and respond to online fraud. Real issues. Real collaboration. Real outcomes.
Whether you’re from the private sector, public services, the voluntary and community sector — or simply someone who cares about protecting people and businesses from fraud — this session is for you. Online fraud affects us all, and tackling it takes all of us.
The event is funded by the Asset Recovery Community Scheme and is free to attend, but places are limited. Tickets can be secured by registering throughour Eventbrite page shown below.
Join us and be part of the solution.
Past Events
NI Fraud Forum Conference 2025 - Procurement Fraud
Conference Presentations:
NI Fraud Forum Annual Conference 2025
Date: Wednesday 19th November 2025
Time: Registration & ,light breakfast from 8:30am | Speakers from 9:00am
Venue: KPMG Offices, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast BT1 3LP
The NI Fraud Forum is delighted to announce our 2025 Annual Conference, hosted in partnership with KPMG. This year’s theme — Procurement and Construction Fraud: Building Integrity from the Ground Up — brings together senior voices from policing, professional services, industry, and the legal community to tackle one of the most persistent and costly forms of financial crime in Northern Ireland.
The morning programme features a keynote address (to be announced), followed by presentations from a senior representative of the PSNI, a representative from the construction industry, KPMG, and a Barrister specialising in procurement law. Together, they will explore the scale, patterns, and prevention of fraud within procurement and the construction supply chain, and discuss practical strategies to protect both public and private sector organisations.
Procurement and construction fraud thrive in environments of complexity and trust. They often emerge through subtle manipulation — inflated bids, false invoicing, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or collusive arrangements hidden beneath layers of subcontracting. These practices undermine competition, waste public funds, and can destabilise entire projects before the problem is even detected.
More insidious, however, are the coercive and cultural aspects of fraud in this sector. Pressure from contractors or insiders, the “everyone does it” mindset, and the fear of whistleblowing can normalise misconduct and silence accountability. Fraudsters exploit personal relationships, weak oversight, and financial desperation to draw otherwise honest professionals into complicity.
This year’s conference will provide a timely opportunity for business leaders, finance professionals, investigators, and compliance officers to deepen their understanding of these risks, share insights, and strengthen the collective response.
Spaces are limited — early registration is essential
Masterclass - Wednesday 24th September 2025
Masterclass: Payment Diversion Fraud
Date: Wednesday 28th September 2022
Time: 9:00am – 10:30am (Registration & Light Breakfast from 8:30am)
Location: Pinsent Masons Offices, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast BT1 3LP
Payment Diversion Fraud is one of the most insidious and damaging threats facing businesses today. Also known as “mandate fraud” or “invoice redirection,” it is a calculated cybercrime that manipulates trust, exploits routine processes, and drains organisations of often substantial sums of money.
Northern Ireland businesses are not exempt from this type of fraud – the opposite is true. Businesses of all sizes and across all sectors are potential victims. A single successful attack can destabilise cash flow, derail projects, and, in some cases, threaten the very survival of a company. Fraudsters are highly organised, sophisticated, and relentless in targeting finance teams, suppliers, and customers alike.
This masterclass will shine a spotlight on:
- How payment diversion fraud operates and why it is so effective.
- The latest tactics fraudsters are using to infiltrate businesses.
- Practical steps you can take to protect your organisation and its people.
By attending, you’ll gain not just awareness, but also actionable insights that could save your business from a potentially catastrophic financial and reputational loss.
The agenda includes:
- 08:30am Registration & light breakfast
- 09:00am Talks from Pinsent Masons, PSNI, Danske Bank & Vertical Structures
- Panel Discussion and Q&A
- 10:30am Finish
Join us at the Pinsent Masons offices in Belfast for an informative session and an opportunity to connect with peers who are equally committed to strengthening their defences against this rising threat.
Registration opens at 8:30am with a light breakfast, followed by the masterclass from 9:00am to 10:30am.
Places are limited so sign up soon.
Our 2025 NI Fraud Forum Conference will be held on Wednesday 19th November and will be held in the KPMG offices in Belfast. The agenda is currently being planned so please keep your eye on this page, our LinkedIn page and we will be using Eventrite for ticketing.
If you'd like to become a conference sponsor please get in touch via events@nifraudforum.co.uk.
If you'd like to receive notification of our future events please email us at membership@nifraudforum.co.uk and we'll put you on our mailing list.
Masterclass - Tuesday 27 May 2025
Breakfast Masterclass – Tuesday 27th May from 8:30am
An in-depth exploration of the current fraud landscape – 2025
Venue – PwC Offices – 20 Wellington Place, Belfast BT1 6GE
Time – 08:30 – 10:30am
Join us for an in-depth exploration of the current fraud landscape in relation to Third-Party Risk within Northern Ireland and across the UK. This Masterclass offers an invaluable opportunity to hear from leading experts in the field, engage with industry peers, and enhance your understanding of strategies to combat fraud effectively. Ideal for professionals across various sectors, including finance, compliance, risk management, and anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the fraud landscape. Our speakers’ extensive experience will provide valuable perspectives into the evolving landscape and the best practices for safeguarding your organisation.
Program:
08:30 – 09.00 Welcome breakfast & networking
09:00 – 09:10 Introduction & welcome from NI Fraud Forum Chair, Bill McCluggage
09:10 – 10:30 The current fraud landscape across NI and the UK
Fraud Landscape Introduction: Clare Kennedy, Forensics Investigations Director PwC
Cheryl Deighan, Sanction screening process and procedures subject matter expert
Michael Abraham, Forensic Technologist, Procurement and supply chain
10:30 – 11:00 Close & Networking
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Fraud 2.0 – Fighting the Curse of Fraud and Cyber-crime to Safeguard our Future
Annual NI Fraud Forum Conference 2024
Thursday 21 November 2024
Registration: 08:30
Hilton Hotel, 4 Lanyon Place, Belfast, BT1 3LP
2024 Conference
Masterclass - Wednesday 4th September @ 8:30am
Breakfast Masterclass – Wednesday 4th September from 8:30am
Sustainability Fraud & Greenwashing – can you believe what companies claim about their sustainability credentials?
Venue – KPMG Offices – The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast BT1 3LP
Time – 08:30 – 10:30am
The business environment is increasingly competitive and corporate accountability is becoming more complex. Earlier this year the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) secured commitments from ASOS, Boohoo and George at Asda to use only accurate and clear green claims. The FCA introduced a new anti-greenwashing rule that all FCA-authorised firms need to have met by 31 May 2024.
Program:
08:30 – 09.00 Welcome breakfast & networking
09:00 – 09:10 Introduction & welcome from NI Fraud Forum Chair, Bill McCluggage
09:10 – 09:40 Russell Smyth, Head of Sustainable Futures, KPMG – Sustainability Disclosure Requirements: An introduction
09:40 – 10:10 Mike Coates, Assistant Director Consumer Protection, Competition & Markets Authority – Tackling Misleading Green Claims
10:10 – 10:30 KPMG Forensics – Investigations into Allegations of Greenwashing
10:30 – 11:00 Close & Networking
NI Fraud Forum Debate Night - 30th May 2024
‘GenAI – a major fraud enabler or a powerful tool to combat fraud?’
Join us for a stimulating, challenging & fun evening debate.
Starts at 6:30pm with drinks and lite bites.
Early registration encouraged as places are limited
Kindly sponsored by Harod Associates
2023 Conference
Speaker Details
Mark Courtney – Chief Product Officer – Cifas
In his role at Cifas, Mark is responsible for innovation across both new and existing services, as well as overseeing the execution and roll-out of innovative new products. Mark has a wealth of expertise in fraud, identity verification and identity assurance, having worked globally across multiple sectors for over 20 years in this space.
During his career, he spent 16 years at GBG, where he led the product management team for its identity verification suite, managing the launch of the industry’s first truly electronic identity verification (EIDV) service in 2004. He went on to become General Manager, running both the Identity Verification and Identity Assurance divisions. Before joining Cifas, Mark held the position of Head of Product and Engineering for TruNarrative, playing a key role in positioning the start-up organisation to gain a significant presence in the industry.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wilson – Head of Economic Crime Unit PSNI
DCI Ian Wilson is Head of the PSNI Economic Crime Unit (ECU). It was formed ito help protect the community from the effects of fraud and other financial crime. To that end, the ECU have Detectives trained specifically in fraud investigation; and Financial Investigators, who follow the money, restrain and confiscate criminal property.
The ECU are located at Strandtown PSNI and have a number of hubs across the Province. The ECU team are seen as the ‘experts on fraud’ within the PSNI and they provide advice and guidance across the Service. ECU work closely with other Law Enforcement and partner agencies throughout the UK and Ireland in the fight against fraud.
Dr Ruth McAlister – Head of Research, Intelligence & Training – Harod Associates
Ruth is Head of Research and Intelligence at Harod Associates, a leading global investigation and intelligence company, and an Associate Lecturer in Criminology at Ulster University. She specialises in cybercrime offending, victimisation and the policing of cyberspace, primarily through utilising web scraping, open source intelligence techniques and social network analysis. Her two central research interests are online recruitment on classified and recruitment websites for the purposes of human trafficking, and offender networking on child abuse forums.
In her investigative and intelligence work she digitally profiles individuals, connecting them to addresses, websites, companies and other key players, establishing patterns of life to aid criminal and civil investigations nationally and internationally.
Jude McCorry – CEO – Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland
Jude McCorry is the CEO of the Cyber and Fraud Centre. Jude has over 20 years experience in the Technology sector and started her career with Dell computers in Ireland, she joined the Cyber and Fraud Centre in April 2020 from The Data Lab where she was Director of Business Development working with industry and academia to maximise the value of data for Scotland. She is one of the founders of the UNICEF Data Hub for Children, she also sits on the board of the Edinburgh Data Driven Innovation Hub at Edinburgh University.
Jude is very passionate about data for good and also inspiring the next generation into Cyber and technology – particularly looking at female participation.
William Taafee – Co-Founder & COO – Lockdown Cyber Security
William is the Co-Founder and COO of Lockdown Cyber Security, who sees Cyber Security through the eyes of a finance professional. He has a passion for Cyber Security and is an accomplished presenter. He has had an interest in Cyber Security since his early teens.
William has spoken on behalf of major Retail banks, the Dental Associayion, BMA, BMF and is a regular contributor on cyber-related fraud issues within the UK counter-fraud sector. He has also been published and featured in industry magazines and national newspapers on the topic of Digital Risk.
William has worked with a variety of SME and Enterpriose-level organisations, delivering bespoke training around Cyber Security and data protection, and advising on holistic Cyber Security to help organisations better layer their Cyber resilience.
Bimpe Archer – Ofcom
Bimpe Archer is Ofcom’s Northern Ireland’s Online Safety and Media Literacy lead. She will be explaining the Online Safety Act 2023 and Ofcom’s role as the ‘Regulator’. She joined the regulator when the role was created in January 2022, following two decades working as a journalist. Following early days freelancing in the former CityBeat radio station and Belfast Telegraph and a stint in the Carrick Times, she joined the Irish News where she was a senior news reporter, duty news editor and columnist.
Lynn Cooper – Registrar of Companies Northern Ireland
Lynn is the Registrar of Companies for Northern Northern Ireland and is also responsible for the implementation of the Economic Crime and Corprate Transparency Act 2023 that has just received Royal Assent.
Wayne Denner – Speaker, Author & Trainer
Wayne has spent over 21 years in the digital space using social media, smart phone tech and the internet. He is a regular speaker in primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in Ireland, the UK, US and UAE. He is a recognised expert on online reputation, online safety and protection, wellbeing and employability, and how to avoid online scams. With over two decades of experience working with large and small scale businesses, charitable, voluntary, statutory and community organisations, Wayne shares his extensive knowledge to help protect online reputation and provides training on how to prevent cyber crime. He also helps parent and carers understand the risks they face and how to protect young people. He has published The Essential Guide To Online Reputation, a number of very useful flyers for students, parents, teachers and businesses, and his web site is a goldmine of great online tips, videos, blogs and posts.
Patrick Keown – Fraud Operations Manager – Danske Bank
Damien Doherty – Chief Inspector – Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service
Damien Doherty took over the position of the Chief Inspector for the Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service (TSSNI) in 2017, following a 15 year career in Trading Standards and the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Damien is a keen advocate of the trading standards profession and consumer rights. Damien is a regular media contributor on TV and radio, commentating on many areas of rogue trading including scams, doorstep crime, car crime and intellectual property crime. His further areas of interest include consumer credit, travel law and consumer advice. Since taking over as the Head of TSSNI, Damien has led the restructuring of the organisation through a period of cutbacks, Brexit and the COVID pandemic. He is an active member of various panels including the NI Organised Crime Taskforce, Business Crime Partnership, ScamwiseNI, the NI Market Surveillance Network and the operational Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP) group, where he continues to contribute to the development of policy in regulation and consumer protection.
2022 Conference
PREVIOUS EVENTS
NI FRAUD FORUM MASTERCLASS - 19 JUNE 2023
Where: Microsoft Offices, City Quays 3, Belfast BT1 3EE
Date: 19 June 2023
Time: 08:30 to 10:00
Speakers:
Lynn Cooper & Patrick Gilligan – ‘When Being Number One Isn’t Good’
Lynn is the Registrar of Companies for Northern Ireland and Patrick Gilligan is currently Head of the Intelligence and Enforcement Team at Companies House in Belfast. Patrick will be stepping into the role of Head of Operations while Lynn takes on the role of delivering implementation the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill will provide greater powers to Companies House.
Stuart Gunning
With over 30 years experience delivering enterprise scale solutions in the public and private sectors, Stuart has recently joined Analytics Stuart as their Strategic Accounts Director. Analytics Engines is based in Chlorine Gardens in Belfast and comprise a team of experienced Data Scientists and Engineers. Before joining Analytics Engines, Stuart was Interim MD Equiniti ICS in Belfast, Equiniti’s practice lead for digital transformation and has held the roles of CEO for Vision eBusiness and Regional Director at Northgate Managed Services, part of the CAPITA group of companies.
Karl Heinz Krug CFA
Karl is Industry Advisor Public Finance at Microsoft Westertn Europe. Based in Frankfurt, Germany Karl has deep expertise in public finance as well as in insurance finance and regulation. He is a regular speaker and blogger on public finance related topics and supports startup companies with GovTech, RegTech, FinTech and Venture Capital.
The Masterclass starts at 08:30 with Tea/Coffee/Breakfast Rolls & Pastries with talks starting at 09:00.
Space at this prestigious location is limited so please register by sending your name, organisation/company and contact details by email to:
events@nifraudforum.co.uk
Location:
Microsoft Belfast
10th Floor
City Quays 3
92 Donegall Quay
BELFAST
BT1 3FE
Car Parking:
There are 2 car parks in close proximity to the building – the NCP City Quays Multi-Storey and the Belfast City Council Tom St surface car park.
Walking:
CQ3 can be accessed via the Riverside walkway, Corpration Square and Clarendon Road
EVENTS IN 2022
When
Tuesday, 15th November 2022
Location
Hilton Hotel, 4 Lanyon Place, Belfast BT1 3LP
Speaker Details
We had some excellent speakers and exibitors who are well known in their individual fields.
Keynote Speaker
Emma Luxton – Head of Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance at the Serious Fraud Office
Emma is Head of Proceeds of Crime and International Assistance at the Serious Fraud Office and has prosecuted several high-profile fraud and bribery cases including Smith & Ouzman that saw the first post-trial conviction for a corporate for overseas bribery and led to a novel compensation arrangement with the victim state.
Emma co-drafted the CPS and SFO’s Deferred Prosecution Agreement Code of Practice that sits alongside the DPA legislation. She secured the UK’s second DPA, Sarclad Ltd and then the sixth DPA, Guralp Ltd. Emma has worked with the OECD Working Group on Bribery including drafting the UK contribution to the 2019 study “Resolving foreign bribery cases with non-trial resolutions” and has recently edited the SFO DPA guidance recently published.
Emma’s keynote covered a brief history of the Serious Fraud Office and its purpose, the organisation’s work and their operation of the Roskill model involving investigators and prosecutors working together. She also covered recent successes in 2022, partners and examples of working with the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland, and the current fraud landscape and priorities for UK HMG and the SFO.
Conference Speakers
Mike Haley – CEO, Cifas
Since being appointed Chief Executive at Cifas in May 2018, Mike has actively worked to grow the community of stakeholders sharing data, intelligence and insight in the pursuit of preventing fraud and financial crime. Mike is passionate about Cifas becoming the driving force behind fraud prevention in the UK and with over 30 years’ experience of tackling and preventing fraud across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, he is determined to bring together a strong cross-sectoral collaborative approach to tackling fraud. With a Master’s Degree in Criminology, Mike has led counter fraud efforts in the National Health Service, Ministry of Defence, Office of Fair Trading, HM Revenue and Customs and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. He also worked at the National Fraud Authority directing cross sector fraud prevention strategies. Mike believes that the battle against fraud is one that cannot be won alone and that only by collaborating as a community can turn the tide on fraud and not only protect each other but also make the UK a safer place to live and do business.
Robert Brooker – Chair of the London Fraud Forum and Head of Fraud & Forensics at PKF
Robert delivers risk-based strategic fraud awareness, prevention and investigation services to a range of listed and private businesses and to the public sector. A leading figure with more than 20 years’ experience, Robert specialises in the prevention and detection of loss, and the investigation of crime including online fraud, security breaches, cybercrime, IP and the insider threat. His investigations have resulted in regulatory sanctions and criminal, disciplinary and recovery actions. Prior to joining PKF, Robert was Head of Fraud at Transport for London where he managed a team of investigators, prevention staff and data analysts to support the authority’s risk and assurance strategy. He has extensive international fraud investigation experience and has worked across the globe. Robert is the Chair of the London Fraud Forum, a public-private partnership dedicated to the prevention and investigation of fraud.
Art Mitchells-Urwin – Public Sector Fraud Authority, Cabinet Office
Art is the Counter-fraud Business Development and Operations Manager in the recently formed Public Sector Fraud Authority in the Cabinet Office. He leads the strategic direction of the Cabinet Office’s Digital Economy Team’s counter-fraud work. His focus in on using cross-government research and stakeholder engagement to initiate innovative data sharing pilots. He works with departments and public bodies to strengthen their anti-fraud defences and fraud responses and utilises. He is also the founder of Proofed By Art .
Kevin Newe – Assistant Director, Illicit Finance Threat Lead, HMRC
Kevin is responsible for HMRC’s Illicit Finance Strategy that is designed to identify and tackle the priority threats faced by HMRC. He works closely with the Home Office and other domestic and international partners across both the public and private sectors to identify opportunities to share both knowledge and expertise in order to develop more resilient financial, regulatory and operational systems. He uses a blend of Promote, Prevent and Respond to reduce the threat of Illicit Finance and the read accross to HMRC’s responsibilities as an anti-money laundering supervisory body. He previously worked at the Serious Organised Crime Agency on their Proceeds of Crime policy and he extensive knowledge of the Economic Crime Plan 2.0.
Matthew Howse – Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
Matthew heads up the Eversheds Sutherland Belfast Dispute Resolution and Litigation team. He works with a range of clients including banks, intermediaries, and both corporate and business people. He is a member of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3), is a member of the Institute of Directors and sits on the Northern Ireland Young Directors’ Forum Steering Committee. He has recent experience of successfully representing a major Irish financial instution, a US hedge fund, and acting on behalf of bank in a case involving “vishing” fraud. Patrick and Laura plan to speak about recent legal developments in the anti-fraud landscape including the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparancy Bill and the recent House of Commons Justice Committee report on the Fraud and Justice System published on 18 October 2022.
Laura Dunseath – Barrister, Eversheds Sutherland
Laura is a Legal Director and Barrister in Eversheds Sutherland’s Corporate Crime and Investigations Group. Laura’s practice is focused upon conducting internal investigations for corporate clients, and representing corporate or individual clients in relation to law enforcement or regulatory investigations or enforcement actions relating to bribery or fraud allegations. Laura qualified as a barrister in both Northern Ireland and England and Wales. Before returning to private sector in 2014, Laura spent over four years in Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service where she was Senior Public Prosecutor, followed by six years at the Serious Fraud Office in London where, as a Case Controller she led large and complex investigations and prosecutions into bribery and fraud.
Chris Wynne – Head of Financial Crime Prevention, Danske Bank
Having spent almost 18 years working across a range of business areas within the retail banking sector Chris has current 1st line responsibility for Financial Crime Prevention for Danske Bank in Northern Ireland. Working to protect both customers and society and to lead Danske Bank to be a local leader in fraud awareness, Chris is supported by a team of local colleagues and backed up by colleagues from across the wider Danske Bank Group. Chris also represents Danske Bank on the local ScamwiseNI Partnership.
Chief Superintenent Gerard Pollock – Head of the Justice Department, PSNI
Chief Superintent Pollock recently took up post as Head of the Justice Department in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). He has in-depth experience of the fight against economic crime and was pivotal in establishing the Scamwise NI partnership in 2016. Developed by the PSNI and a range of partners from public bodies, voluntary sector organisations, faith groups, youth organisations and financial institutions, it now has 45 organisations involved. The Scamwise NI partnership aims to raise awareness of scams by engaging and informing the community about the risks of scams and the range of scams that exist.
Mick Creedon – Specialist Advisor – Altia Software Ltd
Mick Creedon retired after 37 years in policing, the last 10 of which were as the Chief Constable in Derbyshire. Working in the Leicestershire Constabulary, Mick served as a detective at every level in the service with extensive experience of investigating homicide, corruption and all manner of serious and organised crime work. He transferred to Derbyshire in 2003 as Assistant Chief Constable and in 2006 became the first ACPO National Coordinator for Serious and Organised Crime. He has carried out many sensitive and high-profile external reviews and inquiries, working with numerous forces, the Metropolitan Police Service, the CPS, the IPCC/IOPC, HMRC, MI5, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the Home Office and many others.
Megan Searle – Product Analyst – Altia Software Ltd
Megan Searle is a Product Analyst at Altia, specialising in financial investigation products. Previously, Megan was a Police Investigating Officer with Nottinghamshire Police, specialising in Economic Crime. With a degree in Law, Megan brings a unique insight into the practical realities of tackling economic crime. AS a Police Investigating Officer within the Economic Crime Unit of Nottinghamshire Police Meghan worked on investingating a range of different aspects of fraud. She brings her operational experience of tackling fraud and insight to her role with Altia Software Lts as a Product Analyst delivering effective end-to-end customer experience.
Ronan Convery – Senior Consumer Empowerment Officer, Consumer Council
Ronan has been with the Northern Ireland Consumer Council for fourteen years. He works across Northern Ireland to empower and educate consumers in various areas including energy, transport, budgeting, scams, postal services and water. Ronan is an expert in consumer advice and has worked with leading organisations across Northern Ireland to educate and help consumers, including CCEA, PSNI, Danske Bank, Queen’s University, Ulster Bank and Ulster University. Ronan has led many educational projects, working from Key Stage 2 through to University level. He has represented the Consumer Council on the ScamwiseNI Partnership since 2018 and has been instrumental in design and delivery of the Scamwise Champion programme.
Wayne Denner – Speaker, Author and Trainer
Wayne Denner has spent over 21 years in the digital space using social media, smart phone tech and the internet. He is a regular speaker in primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in Ireland, the UK, US and UAE. He is a recognised expert on online reputation, online safety and protection, wellbeing and employability, and how to avoid online scams. With over two decades of experience working with large and small scale businesses, charitable, voluntary, statutory and community organisations, Wayne shares his extensive knowledge to help protect online reputation and provides training on how to prevent cyber crime. He also helps parent and carers understand the risks they face and how to protect young people. He has published The Essential Guide To Online Reputation, a number of very useful flyers for students, parents, teachers and businesses, and his web site is a goldmine of great online tips, videos, blogs and posts.
Aidan Larkin – CEO, Asset Reality
Aidan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Asset Reality. The fintech startup has developed the world’s first end-to-end platform for crypto asset recovery; from investigating crypto fraud to managing and realising seized digital assets. A former criminal tax inspector for HM Revenue & Customs in the UK and experienced Seized Asset Manager, Aidan was the world’s first seized crypto auctioneer. An Associate Fellow, specialising in asset recovery and virtual currency, at the prestigious think tank RUSI. Aidan is regular guest speaker at international conferences on seized assets and crypto asset recovery. He also acts as a visiting lecturer on asset recovery as well as being a subject matter expert for the United Nations. He is driven by his mission to help law enforcement agencies, public sector bodies and NGO’s increase effectiveness in Asset Recovery by building technology solutions and infrastructure around seized asset management and supporting the implementation of international best practice across the sector.
Conference Programme
Thanks to all our conference supporters and sponsors shown below.
The conference would not have been possible without your support and sponsorship.
