Iain Gallie is president of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Chapter. The UK native entered the anti-fraud field while serving in the British Army Reserves with the Royal Military Police. When not working with the chapter, Iain is Head of Regulation and Policy Management for ASB Bank in New Zealand.

Why did you decide to enter the anti-fraud field?

After time spent in the British Royal Military Police I wanted to continue in the security and investigative fields and started a career committed to preventing and detecting fraud. I held various security roles including time with the Harrods security team, a role with the Post Office Investigation Department and then, when returning to New Zealand, working at ASB managing a fraud team, implementing fraud detection systems and more recently mitigating fraud risk.

What do you consider your greatest achievement to date?

One of my early achievements was gaining my black belt in martial arts and becoming an instructor at the age of 19. That self-discipline and commitment has helped me in my career.

Work wise, one great achievement was assisting in the design and implementation of an enterprise fraud detection and integrated case management solution which generated significant savings and ultimately assisted ASB to win the Visa Leader Award for the lowest fraud losses in the Australasia region in 2014.

On a personal note, I see my family as a great achievement — a lovely wife and three delightful children that are an extremely special and important part of my life.

What are your favorite activities and hobbies outside of work?

I enjoy getting outdoors and enjoying nature. Some trips over the last few years have included trekking to Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalayas, walking the Inca Trail, cycling the Otago Rail Trail and canoeing the Whanganui River.

How has the CFE benefited your career?

Joining the ACFE has meant being involved not only with local like-minded professionals dedicated to fighting fraud, but also being able to reach out to a global network willing to assist in that common theme.

Gaining the CFE credential has meant that I can provide evidence of my knowledge and skills to clients and employers. It demonstrates the self-discipline and commitment required to study for and obtain a globally recognized professional credential that supports the anti-fraud profession.

What are the benefits of serving as a chapter leader?

Serving as a chapter leader is extremely rewarding not only from a personal development point of view but also because you can be actively involved in increasing member numbers, providing relevant and interesting training and networking opportunities and promoting CFE awareness.

The New Zealand Chapter has branches in Auckland, Wellington and more recently Christchurch, and it has been great to see our membership grow with people from many interesting professions and backgrounds all united in the common anti-fraud field.

All of these branches are supported by a great team of committee members who give up their time to make the events a success and ensure the smooth running of the chapter here.

What goals would you like to help the chapter accomplish?

Our aim is to continue to increase our membership, work with other similar special interest groups such as AML/CTF professionals and form effective partnerships for combined conferences or fraud-related events.

We would like to be able to increase the amount of training we can offer and encourage more of our members to gain the globally recognized CFE qualification.

Do you have any advice for other chapter leaders?

I’m sure other chapter leaders with larger memberships would probably have relevant advice for me, but mine is pretty simple: get involved and enjoy it, make sure you have a good committee to help you, and strive to continue to make those networking opportunities and training events relevant, interesting and topical. Not all of them have to focus on fraud — in fact we have found some business skills ones have been well received, ranging from report writing and plain English skills to mind mapping and presenting effectively.

What is your personal motto? Does it have any special meaning?

My motto is that of the British Royal Military Police, “Exemplo Ducemus,” which translated from Latin means By Example we shall lead.

It has always resonated with me that whether leading a group of soldiers, teaching martial arts, managing a team of anti-fraud professionals, being a husband and a father to three children or serving as an ACFE chapter leader, you always need to set a good example for others to follow.

Below, click through pictures of Iain's time with the British Royal Military Police, with friends and family and adventures in Nepal, Peru and beyond.