Firm Sees New Opportunities in Africa for Risk Management and Transparency Services

Press Contact:
Samira Mirza
202.719.1700
smirza@diligencellc.com

London – February 1, 2006 – Diligence, the business intelligence and risk management firm, has launched a new initiative focused on helping clients succeed in complex African operating environments. By combining a comprehensive understanding of the local environment with an emphasis on assisting the investor in implementing sustainable and socially responsible practices, Diligence will help firms identify and execute winning business strategies.

“Africa can be difficult, but the rewards of conducting business properly can be immense. In the wake of advances in conflict resolution and significant progress in good governance, sub-Saharan Africa is poised to become a significant investment venue,” noted Diligence’s Executive Chairman, Richard Burt.

Diligence offers a range of services that cover the spectrum of investor needs, including due diligence on local partners, analysis of both political-economic environments and key personalities, guidance on transparency and governance, and mitigation of physical risk to facilities and personnel.

Diligence Africa’s team is composed of professionals with diverse backgrounds, including intelligence, corruption and fraud investigation, military special operations, academia, journalism, and law. The team is led by Julian Fisher, formerly with the UK Foreign Office in Nairobi and Harare. “I am delighted to be working with a very talented team with immense direct experience in Africa and a commitment to the region. We will be working hard to ensure that our clients understand properly and work effectively with the communities in which they carry on business. This is a vital part of any realistic and sustainable risk mitigation strategy,” Fisher stated.

Mr. Fisher will work alongside Steven Fox, who served at the U.S. Embassy in Burundi during the country’s civil war, as well as Todd Johnson who spent eight years working for in the U.S. intelligence community and the Department of State following African political and security developments.

Other key members of the team include Jacob Cockcroft who worked for an international investigations firm, where he focused on sub-Saharan Africa, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Joining him is Jean-Michel Lavoizard, who was previously with NATO and has worked for many years providing socio-political and security advice to the French government and implementing crisis management strategies, including in Francophone Africa.

The Africa team will also be supported by Diligence’s transparency and compliance group led by Glenn Ware, the former co-head of the World Bank’s office of institutional integrity.

Diligence was founded in 2000 by a group of former members of the CIA and Britain’s MI5 security service. As the firm has grown, its mission has been broadened to provide clients with both the information and analysis to enable them to identify, manage, and mitigate risks stemming either from the normal flow of business or from unanticipated contingencies.

For further inquires, please contact the Africa team at africa@diligencellc.com or at our London office on +44 (0) 20 7935 3234.h

Report: Investing in Sub-Saharan Africa - the Outlook for 2006 (PDF, 348KB)