FINTRU AND QUEEN'S TO HOST WORLD-RENOWNED WHISTLEBLOWER 

28 February 2018

Queen’s University, in association with leading local financial services company FinTrU, is to host the world-renowned whistleblower, Bradley Birkenfeld as part of a lecture entitled ‘Whistleblowing in Financial Services’.

The event will take place on Thursday 8 March 2018 starting at 6.30pm, at Queen’s Management School in Riddel Hall, Stranmillis Road.

This is the third in the series on thought leadership in financial services hosted by FinTrU – one of the fastest growing financial services companies in Northern Ireland, with headquarters in Belfast City Centre and an office in London – which also sponsors the Trading Room at Queen’s.

The lecture will cover the topics of whistleblowing in financial services, tax evasion and the multinational financial services landscape and corruption.  

The main guest speaker is retired investment professional, influential whistleblower and author Bradley Birkenfeld, who has been called the most significant financial whistleblower in history. As an international private banker he exposed how UBS, one of the world’s largest banks, helped wealthy Americans commit billions in tax fraud.

Birkenfeld’s revelations highlighted the role of offshore financial institutions in systematically aiding clients’ tax evasion, corruption and terrorist activities. Though jailed for 30 months, he was vindicated with a record-breaking IRS reward and his case triggered monumental changes in banking laws, the federal tax code and international tax treaties.

His work enabled the U.S. Treasury to recover $15 billion in back taxes, fines and penalties. The case lead to a series of international investigations into offshore banking, including the ‘Panama Papers’.

Bradley Birkenfeld is author of the book entitled, Lucifer’s Banker: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy which details his story.

Also speaking at the lecture will be Professor Kate Kenny, Professor of Management and Organisational Studies at Queen’s Management School, who will talk about her examination of whistleblowing in organisations. Professor Kenny is currently researching projects funded by ESRC (the Economic and Social Research Council), the British Academy/ Leverhulme Trust, ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the Edmond J. Safra Lab at Harvard University.

Mr Birkenfeld and Professor Kenny will be joined by Darragh McCarthy, CEO and Founder of FinTrU and Professor Donal McKillop, Professor of Financial Services at Queen’s Management School for a panel discussion.

The event is free and open to the public on a ‘first come’ basis. Further information is available here; register here to attend.

Media inquiries to Zara McBrearty at Queen's Communications Office on tel: +44 (0)28 9097 3259.

 

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