Alexander Barnes
Global Head of Sanctions
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Alexander Barnes has been engaged by a high-growth global digital bank to appoint a Global Head of Sanctions.
A senior compliance leader to define and execute the group’s sanctions strategy across all markets. To build a sanctions framework that can scale with the business.
You’ll balance regulatory precision with product speed, shaping how sanctions controls support growth.
The role sits across policy, risk, product, and operations - translating regulatory expectation into practical, data-driven execution.
Key Responsibilities
- Define and maintain the global sanctions framework, ensuring consistency and proportionality across markets
- Lead sanctions risk identification, assessment, and mitigation across products, geographies, and partners
- Oversee screening model validation, tuning, and reporting to management and the Board
- Embed sanctions compliance in new product design through close partnership with Product, Engineering, and Operations
- Act as the senior escalation point for complex sanctions matters and regulatory engagement
- Monitor global regulatory developments (OFAC, EU, UK, UN and others) and drive implementation of required changes
- Promote automation, data accuracy, and continuous improvement across sanctions operations
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Skills and Experience
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- 6+ years experience leading sanctions and financial crime programs within fintech, payments, or digital banking
- Strong technical understanding of sanctions regimes and related screening systems - list management, model calibration, and workflow design
- Experienced in risk assessment, control testing, and assurance within multi-market environments
- Skilled at turning regulation into design - working with engineers to automate and improve control effectiveness
- Direct exposure to regulators and senior management, with proven ability to brief and influence
- Track record of modernising frameworks, closing audit findings, and driving measurable control uplift
- Operates with urgency, precision, and accountability - a builder, not an observer
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