Recognizing Talent: ACFE Mumbai Chapter Presents Forensic Trailblazer Award
/by Arpinder Singh, CFE
“Winning the Forensic Trailblazer Award has been a huge confidence booster,” Mohan said. “It also validates my decision to be in the field of fraud investigations. The exposure and visibility provided by this competition has been immense. I hope the ACFE and EY would continue this initiative in coming years and provide encouragement to forensic investigators in India.”
The ACFE Mumbai Chapter, in association with EY India’s Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services practice, launched the flagship Forensic Trailblazer Award. The purpose of the unique initiative was to applaud the most accomplished forensic professional in India and grow the CFE community. The award is a first-of-its-kind platform for corporate and government professionals in India.
Arpinder Singh, founder and president of the ACFE Mumbai Chapter, and Satish Mathur, Director General of Police, Maharashtra, announced Divya Mohan from SAP India as the winner. The award ceremony was held on October 20. Mohan has received an all-expense paid trip to the ACFE Fraud Conference Asia-Pacific in Singapore on November 20-22, and a one-week forensic technology training with EY.
Sri Sabari Rajan K from Phoenix Legal was the first runner up. He received a Lenovo Vibe X3 mobile phone and a 2-day forensic technology training session at EY.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process involved in the Forensic Trailblazer Award. Besides other things, this event has successfully brought in different stakeholders of forensic investigations — forensic experts, fraud examiners, compliance team members, advocates and auditors — to a single platform. In an ever-growing forensic investigation field, this signifies a more holistic and purposive approach. The event was also meticulously organized event.”
“It was great to be a part of this well-curated initiative by the ACFE and EY, and to recognize and promote talent in the larger forensic space. The structure of the assessment, together with the esteemed panel of jurors, was excellent. This recognition gave me an opportunity to assess myself as to where I stand in the industry in terms of knowledge, experience and skillset.””
Nilesh Kabra, CFE, from Vodafone India was the second runner up. He received a Kindle Paperwhite and 1- day forensic technology training session at EY.
The award saw high visibility and had participation from 150 professionals across forensic, risk, legal, compliance, finance, human resources, technology and other business functions. The evaluation process involved a two-stage assessment based on participants’ written and practical knowledge of investigations. The winner was decided through an independent judging panel comprised of professionals from investigation and enforcement backgrounds. The top three winners also received free ACFE Chapter membership for one year. `
A white paper on The Changing Dynamics of White-Collar Crime in India was launched during the award ceremony. It outlined the impact of white-collar crime, the need to undertake radical measures to combat it, and how the future of investigations needs to be redefined by ramping up skillsets and creation of a wider pool of anti-fraud professionals.
Below are pictures from the event.
