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.
Arne Hartung, 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.
Bernd Träxler 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.
Julia Arbery, 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.”
Kristof Wabl, 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.”
Please click here to read this press release in German.
Meet Julia
Julia Arbery
Julia Arbery, a Partner with StoneTurn, has more than 15 years of experience in ethics and compliance. Specifically, she assists multinational corporations with the development and implementation of effective ethics […]
Meet Kristof
Kristof Wabl
Kristof Wabl, a Partner with StoneTurn, brings over 15 years of experience in advising multinational organisations in the prevention, detection and investigation of white-collar crime. He began his career with […]
Meet Arne
Arne Hartung
Arne Hartung, a Senior Adviser to StoneTurn, has more than 20 years’ experience in risk, compliance and investigations. Specifically he led large-scale investigations at international financial service firms both in […]
Meet Bernd
Dr. Bernd Träxler
Dr. Bernd Träxler, a Senior Adviser to StoneTurn, has more than 20 years of experience in compliance and regulation matters focused on the financial services industry. Specifically, he has in-depth […]
