About

James Ward is Global Fraud Lead within Financial Crime Compliance at HSBC, based in Birmingham, UK. He is an experienced audit and risk professional with extensive expertise in financial crime, fraud risk, AML, CTF and sanctions across large, complex banking institutions. James has led high-performing audit teams and delivered strategic oversight across multiple geographies, retail and wholesale banking, and global markets.

He currently oversees fraud risk audit coverage across 62 countries and territories, developing and implementing a global fraud audit strategy aligned to emerging risks and regulatory expectations. His work focuses on strengthening control frameworks, enhancing fraud detection approaches, and providing actionable insights to senior leadership while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.