Cara Hennesy

With over 20 years in the financial services industry and more than 12 years in Director/Senior management roles, Cara has developed a deep understanding of regulatory compliance, governance, and risk management.

Her leadership within the Regulatory Compliance sector and experience as a co-founder of Provenance Ltd, where she provides strategic advisory and risk management services to financial firms, including VASPs, gives her valuable insights into the challenges faced by regulated firms.

Having addressed operational challenges in managing key risk functions, she understands the role of Boards and Senior Management in ensuring the AML Compliance function follows the risk based approach and is performed effectively and in line with regulatory requirements.

Cara has served as AMLCO/MLRO to VASPs in the Cayman Islands, who are operational and have already been subject to Desktop Review of control framework by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.  Cara has served clients across Cayman, BVI, Bahamas and Bermuda and has previously been approved as Compliance Officer, AMLCO and MLRO by regulators in each of the jurisdictions.

Cara is well-versed in supporting crypto-native enterprises in transitioning their operations to comply with stringent regulatory requirements. Additionally, through the various roles she has held, she has engaged closely with regulators, assisting them in developing a deeper understanding of digital asset operations and nuances in a relatable and practical manner. This experience enables her to view the business imperatives of regulated firms through the lens of regulatory expectations, allowing her to quickly collaborate with senior executive management to identify gaps and effectively remediate them.

Cara also has extensive practical experience addressing the challenges faced by financial service providers, including the implementation of governance structures, risk management systems, & regulatory policies. This experience covers areas like CDD/EDD, fraud prevention, transaction monitoring, chain analytics & governance structures.

In addition Cara has experience in leading regulatory inspections & compliance audits at firms in the financial services sector. She is a Chartered Accountant, ACAMS for crypto and has a Diploma in Risk, Internal Audit & Compliance from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

She stays updated on AML/CFT regulations & industry developments through collaboration with legal counsel and participation in industry forums.