Antonella Battilana, CAMS
VP Compliance Auditor | Risk Assessment & Regulatory Compliance Specialist
Montreal,QC
Summary
Highly experienced Compliance Auditor with a deep focus on regulatory compliance, risk management, and anti-money laundering (AML) across international markets. Former AML Compliance Officer (AMLCO) and Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) in the Cayman Islands, as well as Regulatory Compliance VP specializing in AEOI, FATCA, and CRS. Responsible for conducting advanced risk assessments of BNP branches, employing risk triplets to evaluate and calculate residual risk (inherent vs. controls in place) to ensure robust risk mitigation strategies. Expertise in leading complex audits for KYC, AML, and sanctions compliance, while managing the resolution of U.S. regulatory Matters Requiring Attention (MRAs). Proven track record in advising senior management, ensuring regulatory adherence, and driving continuous improvements in compliance frameworks across global operations.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President, Risk & Compliance Audit
BNP PARIBAS Canada Branch
Montreal , Canada
06.2023 - Current
- Responsible for overseeing the identification and mitigation of compliance risks across BNPP branches in the Americas, ensuring full adherence to local regulations, policies, and industry standards.
- Act as a subject matter expert in compliance controls, advising on operational procedures to ensure compliance with regulations related to fraud, money laundering, and corruption.
- Develop, implement, and lead audit plans focused on compliance with rules and regulations, including KYC, sanctions investigations, transaction filtering, AML tuning for compliance models, and transaction monitoring for payment platforms.
- Ensure all BNPP branches under audit (in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Cayman Islands, U.S., and Canada) are fully compliant with relevant local and international laws, regulations, and internal policies.
- Proactively monitor and follow up on the implementation of audit recommendations and action plans, ensuring completion within set deadlines and driving continuous improvement in compliance processes.
- Responsible, alongside my team, for reviewing and closing regulatory recommendations, including Matters Requiring Attention (MRAs) from U.S. regulators, ensuring timely and effective resolution of compliance-related issues.
- Prepare detailed, actionable audit reports summarizing findings, recommendations, and management responses, and communicate audit findings to senior management, audit committees, and the executive committee (EXCO) to ensure timely resolution.
AMLCO/MLRO
Maples Group
George Town, Cayman Islands
12.2022 - 06.2023
- Responsible for ensuring that investment funds have implemented measures that ensure compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations and the Guidance Notes on the Prevention and Detection of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Cayman Islands..
- Understand the investment activities of Investment Funds in order to properly evaluate, using the risk based approach, the anti-money laundering or terrorist financing risks that may be associated with an Investment Fund's investment activities.
- Act as the point of contact with certain Cayman Islands competent authorities.
- Satisfy as to the adequacy and reliability of the Delegate's procedures and determine whether such procedures meet the requirements of the Regulations, ensuring that any deficiencies are remediated.
- Sample underlying investor Know Your Customer documentation in order to ensure it complies with anti-money laundering obligations.
- Confirm that monitoring is undertaken in relation to persons with whom carrying on business is prohibited by applicable law, including those on global sanction lists, and that any potential sanctions violations are investigated.
- Confirm on a periodic basis that no investors (or where applicable, their beneficial owners) in the Investment Fund are identified as Prohibited Persons.
- Responsible for the implementation and management of suspicious activity reporting procedures..
- Investigate internal suspicious activity reports ("SARs") in order to determine whether a disclosure to the Financial Reporting Authority ("FRA") is necessary, and update the board of directors as necessary..
- Act as point of contact with the FRA throughout the SAR process and deal with FRA or other regulatory or investigative agencies related correspondence.
VP - Regulatory Compliance, (AEOI/FATCA/CRS)
Maples Group
Montreal, Quebec
07.2020 - 12.2022
- Responsible for the oversight of regulatory submissions to regulatory agencies, and for developing and implementing high-quality regulatory plans to enable continued compliance in various international jurisdictions.
- Serve as a principal point of contact with tax authorities (TIA, IRS, CRA) responsible for the regulatory oversight on behalf of clients.
- Maintain knowledge of global regulatory requirements, and advise internal stakeholders on emerging regulatory trends for various international jurisdictions (Cayman Islands, Ireland, US, British Virgin Islands, Canada, among others).
- Provide advice and support to relevant business and operational units to ensure they understand and are applying existing rules relating to the U.S. tax documentation (including FATCA).
- Preparation, consultation, and submission of FATCA and CRS annual filings for investors and investment managers.
- Establish relevant processes and procedures to support Regulatory Affairs function activities globally.
- Assisting in the management of regulatory examinations and internal audits.
- Collaborate with auditors, fund participants, and advisers to manage their queries and concerns, ensuring that relevant information is provided appropriately.
Team Leader - AML/KYC Case Lead Support, Corporate and Investment Banking
BNP Paribas Canada Branch
Montréal, Canada
01.2018 - 01.2020
- Coordinate and manage all AML/KYC and compliance operations for onboarding and recertifications for all clients associated with BNP branches located in South America and Central America.
- Perform audits and quality controls on all regional files, and participate in Global Compliance calls to discuss quality issues and improvements for the regional AML/KYC processes.
- Organize the workload for the regional team while coordinating the workload with LATAM and U.S.-based managers.
- Assist in writing, maintaining, and auditing policies and procedures specific to Due Diligence, KYC, and provide training and guidance to analysts for new functions.
- Assist in monitoring rule changes or regulatory developments relating to customer due diligence for all LATAM branches (Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Argentina).
- Appointed to lead the internal audit process for the revision of procedures and regulatory framework for the due diligence and compliance processes for the BNP Colombia branch.
- Participated in the implementation and walkthrough with the regulators for the opening of the new BNP branch located in Mexico City.
Onboarding Case Manager KYC/AML - Corporate Banking - Canada Markets
HSBC
Montreal, Canada
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Developed account onboarding plans, requested outstanding documentation and information, reviewed the files, and audited all transactions.
- Identified, assessed, and mitigated risks and potential impacts to the firm, liaising with compliance departments across Canada to detect fraudulent activities, and ensure regulatory compliance with AML/ATF financial controls and internal policies.
- Developed a deep understanding of the Bank's risk appetite and risk culture, as well as their impact on day-to-day decisions.
- Performed CIB clients' due diligence analyses and checks, including KYC and CDD documentation, as part of the overall KYC process.
Fraud Officer
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Montreal, Canada
01.2016 - 01.2017
- Researched and analyzed suspicious activity patterns, industry risks, and complex issues concerning the trends of financial crimes.
- Detected fraudulent activity, took appropriate action, and ensured peers' awareness of recurring problems and potential losses.
- Leveraged effective analysis techniques to break apart the most complex, current, and evolving fraudulent activities and trends.
- Provided security recommendations to clients, and delivered tailored solutions to successfully prevent all fraud-related losses.
- Implemented customer verification processes, significantly reducing the risk of fraudulent account creation.
- Connected patterns for underlying account associations to discover undetected fraud.
- Analyzed data from multiple sources to detect patterns of fraud or other irregularities.
Education
Certificate -
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
CFE Examiners07-2025
Certificate -
Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
ACAMS12-2024
Bachelor of Arts - Economics with a Minor in Business (With Honors)
Bishop's University
Sherbrooke, QCSkills
- Office of foreign assets control regulations
- Bank secrecy act compliance
- Suspicious activity reporting
- Data analytics
- Process evaluations
- Risk mitigation strategies
- Audit planning
- IT audit knowledge
- Compliance standards
- Taxation
- Regulatory compliance
- Audit coordination
- Payment processing
- Banking operations
Languages
- English
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Portuguese
Timeline
Vice President, Risk & Compliance Audit
BNP PARIBAS Canada Branch
06.2023 - Current
AMLCO/MLRO
Maples Group
12.2022 - 06.2023
VP - Regulatory Compliance, (AEOI/FATCA/CRS)
Maples Group
07.2020 - 12.2022
Team Leader - AML/KYC Case Lead Support, Corporate and Investment Banking
BNP Paribas Canada Branch
01.2018 - 01.2020
Onboarding Case Manager KYC/AML - Corporate Banking - Canada Markets
HSBC
01.2017 - 01.2018
Fraud Officer
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
01.2016 - 01.2017
Certificate -
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Certificate -
Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
Bachelor of Arts - Economics with a Minor in Business (With Honors)
Bishop's University
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