John Bakowski is an associate managing director in K2 Integrity’s Financial Crimes Risk Management practice. He is a seasoned legal and compliance professional with more than 20 years of experience in international banking and financial crime prevention. John advises financial services clients on the design and enhancement of financial crime compliance programs, including know your customer (KYC), customer due diligence (CDD), and transaction monitoring (TM) requirements and practices.
He brings particular expertise in the operationalization of anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks, supporting institutions across the full program lifecycle from end-to-end process design and policy development to training and the implementation of technology solutions for global financial institutions.
Prior to joining K2 Integrity, John served as a lead AML, anti-bribery and corruption (ABC), and anti-fraud program designer at KPMG. In this role, he played a pivotal part in advising a U.S.-based development financial institution on the design and implementation of an integrated financial crime framework that combined AML, ABC, and fraud risk management capabilities, establishing a new standard for operational security.
Earlier in his career, John held senior leadership roles at ING and HSBC, where he led global compliance initiatives and governance programs. At ING, he served as principal AML expert for global CDD services, driving strategic initiatives to strengthen oversight and accountability across international operations. At HSBC’s investment banking division, he was responsible for global CDD policy implementation and acted as a subject matter expert on AML standards, supporting the rollout and execution of HSBC’s Global Standards program.
John holds a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law and a B.A. in political science from Huron College at the University of Western Ontario. He is admitted to practice law in Texas and holds ACAMS certifications in AML and sanctions.