27 Oct 2021
BZ has appointed Randy Bennett as Compliance Manager to create and implement a strong compliance and regulatory foundation for the business as it continues on its rapid growth trajectory.
The specialist asset-based lender, which was recently named ‘Asset Based Lender of the Year’ at Real Deals Private Equity Awards and ‘Best Structured Asset Based Lending Solutions Provider’ at the M&A Awards, offers structured facilities up to a £150m hold level that provide working capital and corporate structuring solutions to mid-market businesses.
Randy Bennett joins BZ from PNC, where he was nominated AML Officer & European Compliance Program Advisor VP. There he was responsible for UK and European compliance with particular expertise under Anti-Money Laundering (EU Money Laundering Directive, UK Money Laundering Regulations), Counter-Terrorist Financing, Anti-Corruption, Bribery, Privacy (UK and EU GDPR), Data Management and Security. Before that, Randy worked at Bank of America, where he was responsible for the day-to-day resolution of complicated regulatory occurrences and the execution of complex transactions across multiple business units.
Educated at Florida Atlantic University, Randy comes to BZ with over ten years of professional global Anti Money Laundering experience (ICA Advanced Certification in International AML/CFT/Sanctions) and is a certified UK/European Privacy Professional (CIPM, CIPP/E), with expertise in data movement, data lifecycle management and data security.
Commenting on his new appointment, Randy Bennett said: “This is a very exciting time to join BZ and an excellent opportunity to design and implement a robust and flexible compliance programme that will continue to meet the needs of the business as it drives scale. While I have a compliance background, I have also worked with the first line of defence and I recognise the importance of not putting any speed bumps in the way, rather I’m making sure that we have a clear written path with guard rails at the side based on our risk appetite. The UK and Europe are at the cutting edge of privacy, AML and cyber technology policy and are at the forefront of demonstrating the importance of regulatory compliance. I look forward to working with the team at BZ to create a comprehensive programme and a full suite of services that will support and strengthen our governance as the business grows.”
Kevin Yates, Managing Director – Risk, BZ, said: “Randy brings with him a breadth and depth of compliance and regulatory experience gained at some of the world’s largest banks and we are delighted to welcome him as an important and integral part of the BZ team. Following the implementation of the programme and the embedding of industry best practice, Randy will play a crucial role in continuously reviewing and improving our compliance policies, underpinning our commitment to commerciality, financial integrity and operational excellence.”