AKW Consultants

• Managing Partner & CEO – AKW Consultants

Faisal Ahmed is the Founder and Managing Partner of AKW Consultants. With over 25 years of international experience, he leads the firm’s strategic vision, bringing clarity and precision to advisory when stakes are high.

A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Faisal built his expertise at KPMG and PWC UK, where he spent 14 years advising global institutions on financial crime compliance, audit, and regulatory strategy. He later joined HSBC as Director and Global Head of Client Due Diligence for AML Compliance, overseeing complex risk programmes across multiple jurisdictions.

Faisal has advised organisations in over 50 countries across sectors including banking, precious metals, real estate, and digital assets. His experience spans end-to-end regulatory frameworks, anti-financial crime systems, responsible sourcing, ESG design, and cross-border restructuring. Whether leading an AML transformation for a global bank or guiding a precious metals refinery to OECD and UAE Good Delivery standards, he delivers solutions that combine strategic insight with practical implementation.

He is an accredited UAE Ministry of Economy Auditor, an approved UAE Good Delivery programme reviewer, and a Court Expert in gold sector compliance recognised by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He has also been an Expert Trainer at the Institute of Banking Studies in Kuwait, London Institute of Banking & Finance, ADGM Academy, and the DMCC Responsible Sourcing Training Programme for the precious metals sector.

Faisal has delivered over 500 institutional training programmes to regulators, investigators, and corporate leaders across the globe. His leadership is defined by a commitment to empowering clients with clarity, protecting their reputation, and enabling confident decision-making in complex environments.