A lawyer and investment banker by profession, Fred Kaufmann was formerly co-founder and Chairman of Cyntel Group, a cyber-security and intelligence company, co-founder and Chief Executive of West Sands Advisory, an emerging markets private intelligence company, and Director of Global Strategies Group, whose projects included security management for Baghdad’s Green Zone and International Airport. As a banker, Fred advised many of the world’s leading banks and securities companies, and led teams on deals throughout western and eastern Europe, Russia, Japan and the US. He was a London based Managing Director and Global Head of Depositary Institutions at Wasserstein Perella & Co. and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, respectively. Prior to this, Fred was a Director and Co-COO of the International Financial Institutions Group at Credit Suisse First Boston, and a Director of FIG at Merrill Lynch International. Fred began his career as a mergers & acquisitions and securities lawyer in New York and London with the firm of Cravath Swaine & Moore, following stints with the U.S. State Department in Switzerland and Congo. He holds a B.A. from Yale University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Masters of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and is a member of the Bar of the State of New York.
Rob is a highly experienced and skilled investigator with a deep knowledge of forensic IT disciplines and methods. Over the past two decades, Rob has been the senior director of specialist security and business intelligence companies, including co-founder and Managing Director of Cyntel Group, a cyber-security and intelligence company, Director of A.I.M, an intelligence and investigations company and founder of Thamesbridge and Escrow Consulting. Combining over 25 years experience in computing, and specialising for the last 17 in security and high tech crime investigations, he is a leading authority and industry expert who has built a successful career in providing services to a broad spectrum of private and government clients. He has been cited frequently in the national press, and has written for legal periodicals and law journals in the fields of computer forensics and security. Trained as computer forensics examiner, Rob has worked on many complex and esoteric legal cases, providing evidentiary support for prosecution, defense and investigative purposes. Rob has been able to utilise his knowledge and expertise to provide a positive outcome for the client in many cases where previous attempts to overcome technical difficulties in resolving an investigation have faltered. Rob is a certified ethical hacker and has extensive experience in and practical knowledge of this area, particularly in the covert infiltration of organisations engaged in inappropriate or unlawful activity. Rob’s operational expertise is recognised at the highest levels of the security industry, where he has worked as a consultant for numerous intelligence agencies and UK Government departments. He has worked alongside both UK and international law enforcement, providing computer forensic analysis and investigation support. Rob is skilled in the investigation of complex financial fraud, including bank fraud, money laundering and asset tracing. His skills also enable him to engage proactively on investigations involving piracy, counterfeit, grey and black market products.