How long have you been with Goji? What is your role on your team?

I have been with Goji since August 2021. As a senior KYC Analyst, my role is to work alongside the Operations and Compliance teams to develop and apply our KYC framework to a mixture of automated processes and targeted manual analysis. I enjoy the detective work of identifying solutions for our clients’ most difficult challenges, along with finding UBOs (Ultimate Beneficial Owners) and controllers in complex ownership structures. It’s these ownership and control puzzles that I particularly enjoy solving. I wake up every morning feeling like superman – ensuring funds aren’t being used for money laundering and terrorist financing. 

What initially interested you about Goji? What do you enjoy about working here?

Before joining Goji, I worked at Northern Trust as a Second Vice President Compliance Consultant for 5 years and at HSBC as Associate Director (KYC Specialist) for 10 years in London. I was looking for new opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge I’ve gained over the years and Goji was perfectly compatible with me. The strong culture and values at Goji are reinforced by my colleagues, who are extremely friendly and supportive of each other.

What are some of the hidden (or obvious) challenges in the alternative investment landscape that people may not think about? What are the most exciting opportunities to address them?

One of the common ongoing challenges is regulatory change, causing firms to deal with regulatory scrutiny and audits on a regular basis. With an effective AML governance framework, the interest of all stakeholders can be managed much more efficiently. There is a huge opportunity for fintechs like Goji to transform this sector by automating and streamlining KYC processes that are unnecessarily manual. This will improve the overall customer experience and give staff much-needed time to focus on high risk customers.

Give us the inside scoop – what are some of the unique aspects of working at Goji?

At Goji, everyone is open, honest and accepts each other as equals. This makes it easier to talk to anyone within the company, including the CEO, directors, line managers and so on. Nearly everyone at Goji has a pet and/or is a pet lover, so we have a dedicated channel to share pet photos and stories – you can even bring your dog into the office anytime you want. In addition, I am a keen ultra runner and love that most of my colleagues are also avid runners, including the CEO. It’s so important to have a supportive and enjoyable working environment, like here at Goji!

What was your dream job as a child? Tell us a bit about your journey to where you are today.

Growing up in a remote village in India and watching all the action of Bollywood movies, I wanted to be a police officer and make a difference. My cousin, villagers and friends saw me as helpful and passionate about doing the right thing. I spent a lot of my time in our local church youth society travelling around other villages to provide lessons and education.

After finishing my undergraduate studies in India, my parents sent me to the UK to further study hospitality and business management. After graduating, my life goals changed and I met my wife and transitioned to customer services at HSBC. I spent nearly 10 years at HSBC growing from Customer Service Representative to my last position as Associate Directors (KYC specialist) in Large Corporate and Leveraged Portfolios. When an opportunity came at Northern Trust as 2nd VP Compliance Consultant, I took the leap, and ended up learning a lot in the Custody and Fund Administration KYC/AML world over my 5 years there.

What would you do if you had unlimited free time?

I love spending time and playing with my 6 year old daughter Skye and our wonderful pets – Max the husky and KittyKat the cat. I also love running, both as an opportunity to visit various new places and also to raise money for charity.

Any fun projects on the horizon? What are you and your team up to next?

While Goji is expanding in Private Equity, I am looking forward to working on International funds and complex clients’ KYC. At Goji, we streamline investor onboarding to give wealth managers a digital solution for their clients to access private equity hassle-free. Goji is growing at a fast rate and I am honoured to be part of this successful journey.