December 19, 2023
Frankfurt/Main – StoneTurn, a leading global advisory firm, demonstrated sustained growth within the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) region in 2023 and heading into 2024.

StoneTurn experienced significant demand from DACH clients, notably in the deployment of robust compliance management systems and effective sanctions compliance. Given the anticipated rise in regulatory enforcement in 2024, the firm foresees that addressing compliance and misconduct issues will remain a top priority.

To meet the increasing demand for consulting services, StoneTurn bolstered its DACH team with the 2023 additions of Arne Hartung and Bernd Träxler.

a Senior Adviser to StoneTurn, focuses on Investigations and Compliance, with more than 20 years of experience in risk, compliance, and investigations. Specifically, he has led large-scale investigations at international financial service firms both in the context of Financial Sanctions and in connection with tax-related Fraud schemes including Cum/Ex.

also joined the team as a Senior Adviser in late 2023. Prior to joining StoneTurn, Bernd was the Chief Compliance Officer at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Erste Bank Group. In these roles, he had the responsibility for protecting the integrity and reputation of these institutions and promoting ethical working standards. Bernd is also the founder and Managing Director of Compliance Networks, a consulting network which supports companies and other organisations by providing leading expertise enabling them to drive a culture of compliance and ethics.

The strength of the StoneTurn team is also reflected in 2023 accolades received by StoneTurn partners in the region.   Julia Arbery joined the Faculty of the CEELI Institute and also the panel of experts for the Management Alliance GmbH, a certified course provider for Deutsche Börse AG supporting individuals for the "Qualified Supervisory Board" and "Financial Expert" examinations. Kristof Wabl recently featured as an Exceptional Expert in Financier Worldwide Magazine's 2023 Power Players report on Sanctions and Financial Crime. Kristof was also elected as a new member of the board of TI Austria in June 2023, and he leads the TI Austria task force focused on whistleblowing, a post he has held since 2016.

, Partner at StoneTurn DACH, comments on the future landscape for businesses:

“Integrity is, and should be seen as, equally important to an organisation as its financial performance. Businesses across industries need to broaden their perspective on integrity, moving beyond a narrow focus on financial activities and encompassing conduct within the entire workplace. Indeed, integrity and financial success often go hand-in-hand, such that the efforts required to nurture integrity will, quite literally, pay off.”

, Partner at StoneTurn DACH, also notes key challenges ahead:

“The new Whistleblower Protection Legislation poses major challenges for public institutions and companies across the European Union, with many businesses still in the early stages of establishing processes around compliance. We are also seeing an upswing in internal investigations related to socially critical issues, for example, greenwashing, #metoo, and sanctions.”

 ENDS

About StoneTurn
StoneTurn, a global advisory firm, assists companies, their counsel and government agencies on regulatory, risk and compliance issues, investigations, and business disputes. We serve our clients from 15 global offices across five continents.

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For more information about StoneTurn contact:

Thorben Burbach
email: 
phone: +49 (611) 205855-23