Aarti Weister is an associate managing director in K2 Integrity’s Financial Crimes Compliance practice. Financial institutions rely on her to implement, execute, and manage enterprise-wide anti money laundering (AML), sanctions, and financial fraud programs. Aarti works with financial institutions to review and revise existing processes and procedures, developing programs from the ground up. She leads teams that perform quality testing, risk and controls analysis, and operational reviews of areas within global financial crimes compliance (FCC). With experience in compliance, investigative, and operational roles, Aarti also supports functions such as metrics reporting and list management, as well as providing the relevant training and coaching for all skill levels within an organization.
Aarti is also an experienced AML, sanctions, and fraud investigator. Earlier in her career, as a suspicious activity report (SAR) investigator for a multinational bank, she focused on uncovering issues related to AML/BSA, terrorist financing, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and international sanctions, check fraud, counterfeit check schemes, wire fraud, suspicious wire transfers, and employee fraud/misconduct.
Prior to joining K2 Integrity, Aarti was the central screening unit manager in the global FCC group of an established private bank, where she led a team that handled screening transactions and referential data against OFAC, international sanctions, and FinCEN 314(a). She was also responsible for expansion of this 22-hour operation, providing direct oversight of the program and its personnel, pinpointing gaps and identifying opportunities for process improvements, and maximizing efficiency via resource and process assessments. In her previous role at another international bank, Aarti designed, implemented, and managed the quality testing function for global sanctions compliance and AML operations.
She later supported the review of the effectiveness of the oversight and controls framework across multiple areas of global FCC, as well as conducting the risk and controls self-assessments. Prior to her experience in FCC, Aarti worked in the social welfare industry in various roles, including quality assurance review and abuse investigations on an individual level.
Aarti received her M.A. in international sustainable development from Brandeis University, her M.S. in environmental science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and her B.S., with a focus in biology, from Delhi University. She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS), and a Forensic Accounting Certificate recipient.