* Associate director, investigations and forensic services, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Name: Alex Tan
1997-2005: Investigator, Serious Fraud Office
1988-1997: Commissioned officer, Royal Hong Kong Police Force including three years in the Commercial Crime Bureau.
What were you doing before accepting your new position?
I was an investigator with the Serious Fraud Office,
investigating and prosecuting serious fraud. I was also involved in monitoring "get rich quick" schemes and giving presentations on fraud to community groups. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the SFO.
Why did you apply for this job?
It was an exciting opportunity, working in quite a specialised area. Although leaving the SFO was a hard decision, I was drawn to the fact that I would be working for a respected global firm and that I would be setting up a new service.
What does your new job entail?
It involves working with clients who may have concerns over fraud. We have a number of services, including corporate fraud investigations, background checks, computer forensics and IT security, investigate analysis, fraud risk management and proactive fraud testing. I have a group of people helping me including background researchers, forensic accountants and computer forensic specialists.
What particular challenges do you face working in this sector?
The main difference is that I no longer have any statutory powers. We can access information that is given voluntarily or obtained from public sources only. Having said that, since joining PWC I have been amazed at how much public information is out there, not only for New Zealand but also the rest of the world. What is more, most of the information is accessible within minutes.
What are the immediate challenges?
The initial challenges revolve around gaining market recognition. The challenge is now for me to build on the foundation that has been established and continue to offer a professional and market-leading product.
What do you do in your spare time?
We are renovating our house, and that occupies a fair bit of my spare time (and sanity). I am also working on finding a friend with a boat to take me fishing. My children would like me to work on staying on skis long enough so as not to embarrass them in public.
