Birzeit Consulting Corporate Profile

BIRZEIT CONSULTING ME Click here to enter text.

Anti Fraud / Corruption

Internal Control

Good Governance

Internal Audit

Risk Management

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Who Is Birzeit Consulting ME? Established in 2003 and led by its co-founder Mr.

Mohammed J. Masoud CPA, CFE, CICA, MBA,

Birzeit Consulting ME serves the Middle East

through its regional office in Amman-Jordan while

manages its global business from its head office in

London – United Kingdom. It provides an integrated

spectrum of consulting and training services. Internal

control, forensic accounting and anti fraud, good

governance, risk management, compliance, and

internal audit, are the primary consulting services of

Birzeit Consulting ME.

Mission Birzeit Consulting ME aspires to help our clients

solve their most important and complex problems and

create feasible and controlled business environment

and processes to result in sustainable economic and

business values to enhance their competitiveness and

growth.

We believe in professionalism. For us this means to

always:

Tell the truth as we see it. In the long-term

interests of the client we stay independent

and able to disagree, regardless of the

popularity of our views or their effect on our

fees. We have the courage to invent and

champion unconventional solutions to

problems. We do this to help build internal

support, get to real issues, and reach

practical and economically feasible

recommendations.

Behave as professionals. Uphold absolute

integrity. Show respect to local custom and

culture, as long as we don’t compromise our

integrity.

Keep our client information confidential.

Vision Birzeit Consulting ME will be the center of

excellence in internal control, anti fraud and

management control methodologies and as a primary

source of consulting, research and training in our

fields.

BIRZEIT CONSULTING ME Empower those charged with governance,

management, and personnel to be in

control

WE

Tell the truth as we see it

Behave as professionals

Keep our client information

confidential


The Issues Which Drive the Need for

Birzeit Consulting ME Solutions

International Companies

• The Middle East (ME) is an emerging

market of substantial interest to international

companies, in terms of: Size, growth, skilled

labour, and proximity to Europe, where

many global firms have their Europe, the

Middle East and Africa (EMEA) bases

• But the challenges of operating in ME are

significant: Very different business culture;

legacy of mistrust between Europe and ME;

corruption and fraud (as perceived by global

players, partly arising from differences in

business cultures); and political instability at

the national or regional level

• An international player needs to adapt to the

ME environment to succeed, but it also

needs to retain compliance with global

standards of business integrity, as well as

manage the unique risks within the ME

environment. This requires specialist advice

which incorporates both the global and ME

perspectives – hence Birzeit Consulting ME

Middle Eastern Organizations

• ME companies were once quite small,

usually family-based and focused on

regional / local markets, but this is rapidly

changing. In response to globalisation, ME

firms are expanding, becoming more

complex, and more subject to global

standards of business integrity, governance,

transparency, and accountability. As a result,

they need to strengthen internal and risk

management capacity, and Birzeit

Consulting ME can help them to make this

adjustment and meet these challenges

• ME governments must engage their nations with

the global community – they need credibility and

capacity to do so, yet issues around weak

governance , corruption and regional political

risk hinder their acceptance by the global

community. They need to bridge the gap to

become credible players, in the eyes of the

international community and their own societies.

Birzeit Consulting ME can help to understand

where the gaps are, and how to address them for

best effect towards becoming global players

GLOBALIZATION MEANS

CHANGE

As information technology evolution

reshapes our mindset, methods and

knowledge, it also affects the markets

companies serve and deal with. Therefore,

in order to survive, companies must adapt

to these changes by embracing globally

accepted, international best practices

WE CAN

Birzeit Consulting ME is your partner

when engaging with you to face your

business’s challenges. We can help you to

manage your risks professionally and in

accordance with global best practice and

accepted standards. This will minimize

potential harm or liability coming from

global exposure, and strengthen your

ability to take on new challenges and

opportunities arising from global

integration


Birzeit Consulting ME Guiding

Principles

Ethics

Dedication to business and professional ethics,

including adherence to the highest standards of

corporate integrity and citizenship (for ourselves, and

our clients)

Discretion

Discretion and respect for the sensitivity of our

clients' issues and information

Actionable

A concern with adding tangible and actionable value

– Birzeit Consulting ME goes beyond purely

academic results and seeks to address the client's

unique root issues

Interactive

An interactive and partnering style of engagement,

with a spirit of mutual teamwork and openness

(within limits of necessary discretion)

Strategic

A strategic perspective - we do not get bogged down

in trivia, and relate immediate issues to the bigger

picture to ensure alignment with strategic objectives

GLOBALIZATION MEANS CHANGE

As information technology evolution reshapes our mindset, methods and knowledge, it also affects the markets companies serve and deal with. Therefore, in order to survive, companies must adapt to these changes by embracing globally accepted, international best practices

WE CAN

Birzeit Consulting ME is your partner when engaging with you to face your business’s challenges. We can help you to manage your risks professionally and in accordance with global best practice and accepted standards. This will minimize potential harm or liability coming from global exposure, and strengthen your ability to take on new challenges and opportunities arising from global integration



WE CAN




WE CAN


WE ABIDE BY THE CODE OF

ETHICS OF THE FOLLOWING

INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL

ORGANIZATIONS

The American Institute of Certified Public

Accountants (AICPA)

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)

The Institute for Internal Controls (IIC)

The Association of Certified Fraud

Examiners (ACFE)

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in

England and Wales (ICAEW)

TRANSPARENCY AND

ACCOUNTABILITY

Lack of transparency and accountability

will not attract foreign direct investment

and will not enable management and those

charged with governance to perform their

duties


Birzeit Consulting ME Services

Matrix: Guidance in Five Critical

Management Areas and Two Delivery

Formats

Anti Fraud

Internal Control

Good Governance

Internal Audit

Risk Management

Consulting Training

International firm needs to address its

business risks to control its operations

ME firm / government needs to fight fraud

and corruption through effective and

efficient internal control systems to have

good governance and reliable compliance

Birzeit Consulting Model

Needs Assessment and Identification

Diagnose

Understand

Research

Report

Discuss

The Outcome

BIRZEIT CONSULTING ME IS A

PIONEER We have been developing our own

methodologies since the year 2000 to

overcome the constraints of the

conventional consulting. Specifically, we

developed our internal control principle-

based and risk-based approach to address

the entire spectrum of internal control

related problems. We adopted a strategic

perspective regarding the role of internal

control in relation to fraud, governance,

and risk management

NEW MINDSET

Information Theory

Internal Control

Information Technology

The

Entity


Anti Fraud / Anti Corruption

Fraud and corruption are endemic in many emerging

(and indeed “developed”) markets, and ME is not

immune. The propensity to manipulate legitimate

organisational assets towards the illegitimate

acquisition of personal or factional gain remains a

constant risk in ME, both for regional private and

public actors, and for global firms seeking a foothold

in the region. Fraud and corruption not only lead to

financial loss, but they incur legal liability,

degradation of reputation, and loss of credibility

among key stakeholders, including the public,

shareholders, and partners.

Consulting

International companies

Birzeit Consulting ME assesses fraud and corruption

risk specific to a unique international operation; we

help to pinpoint the weak links, to conduct due

diligence, and to embed both preventive and

detective processes to best address this form of risk

ME organisations

ME organisations face the challenge of a certain

cultural acceptance of fraud and corruption, based on

personal and other loyalties – Birzeit Consulting ME

helps ME organisations make the cultural transition

towards accountable and transparent operations,

while maintaining ME cultural identity

Training


Birzeit Consulting ME training aims at increasing the

level of management awareness of fraud and

corruption risk in ME, and the approaches that a

foreign entrant can / should take to minimise risk or

act on cases where it manifests, within a context of

discretion and cultural sensitivity

ME organisations

Birzeit Consulting ME provides practical training in

fraud and corruption prevention, investigation, and

legal options. Our training is tailored to the ME

cultural and regulatory context, with an eye to

adaptation to global standards of accountability

FRAUD PREVENTION AND

DETECTION

Prevention is better than cure. Birzeit

Consulting ME helps you assess your

company’s vulnerabilities to fraud and

provides you with a customized solution

that accommodates your internal and

external culture

Criminal and financial fraud

investigation

FIGHTING MONEY LAUNDERING

No one country or firm worldwide is

immune from being a victim of money

laundering. Whether you are a public

sector, private sector or a financial

institution, Birzeit Consulting ME can help

you to develop workable measures to

prevent money laundering and to conduct a

professional (criminal and / or financial)

investigation for any suspected situation or

circumstance


Internal Control

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the

Treadway Commission (COSO) defines internal

control (IC) as follows:

IC is a process effected by those charged with

governance, management and other personnel

designed to provide reasonable assurance about the

achievement of the entity’s objectives with regard to

Reliability of financial reporting

Effectiveness and efficiency of operations

Compliance with applicable laws and

regulations

Consulting


Birzeit Consulting ME assists international

companies to adapt internal control processes to the

unique ME environment, such that they retain

compliance with global standards, while accounting

for cultural and regulatory factors specific to the

region

ME organisations

ME-based public and private organisations face

similar issues: they need to adapt to global standards

in internal control, but they need to balance local

imperatives with global standards – Birzeit

Consulting ME advises on how to achieve this

balance for best effect

Training


Birzeit Consulting ME offers courses aimed at

providing senior managers with an understanding of

the ME operating environment, the challenges they

face in implementing global control processes, and

effective ways of handling dilemmas which arise in

their ME transition

ME organisations

Birzeit Consulting ME training instils awareness of

the leading global standards in internal control, the

challenges which ME organisations face in making

the transition to global compliance, and how to

manage the pitfalls during this journey. Corporate

governance, risk management, and internal control

are interrelated and interdependent. We offer several

training programs in this regard

WHAT INTERNAL CONTROL CAN

DO

Internal control is the set of processes,

which, designed properly and performed

effectively, is the foundation for:

Good corporate governance

Effective risk management

Fighting fraud and money

laundering

INTERNAL CONTROL

OVERLAPPING BUSINESS

Internal Control

Governance

Internal Audit

Compliance

Fraud


Good Governance

It is a set of relationships between an entity’s

management, its board or those charged with

governance, and its other internal and external

stakeholders. It provides the structure through which

the objectives of the entity are set, and the means of

attaining those objectives and monitoring

performance are determined

Consulting



companies to adapt good governance processes to the

unique ME environment, such that they retain

compliance with global standards, while accounting

for cultural and regulatory factors specific to the

region

ME organisations

ME-based public and private organisations face

similar issues: they need to adapt to global standards

in good governance, but they need to balance local

imperatives with global standards – Birzeit

Consulting ME advises on how to achieve this

balance for best effect

Training



providing the board of directors or those charged

with governance, and senior managers with an

understanding of the challenges they face in

implementing global governance processes, and

effective ways of handling dilemmas which arise in

their ME transition

ME organisations


the leading global standards in good governance, the


the transition to local and / or global compliance, and

how to manage the pitfalls during this journey.

Compliance, good governance, risk management, and

internal control are interrelated and interdependent.

We offer several training programs in this regard

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Internal control is a prerequisite for

prevailing good governance practices.

However, unless you have good governance,

the risk management process will suffer and

fraud risk will increase – the commitment to

good governance starts at the top, but needs

strong internal processes to achieve and

sustain it stain it

FRAME OF RERERENCE

The Organization for Economic Co-

operation and Development (OECD)

The Committee of Sponsoring

Organizations of the Treadway

Commission (COSO)

Basel Committee on Banking

Supervision; Principles for

Enhancing Corporate Governance

Transparency International

International Organization of

Supreme Audit Institutions

(INTOSAI)


Internal Audit

We work with audit executives, management and

audit committees at companies of virtually any size,

public or private, to assist them with their internal

audit activities. This can include starting and running

the activity or working with an existing internal audit

function to supplement their team when they lack

adequate staff or skills

Birzeit Consulting ME helps organizations transition

to a process-based approach for financial control

compliance, identifying effective ways to

appropriately reduce effort through better risk

assessment, scoping and use of technology, thus

lowering the cost of compliance. Reporting directly

to the board, audit committee or management, as

appropriate, we are ready to help you in a

discrete, focused financial and internal control

reviews and control investigations, either as part of a

formal internal audit activity or apart from it.

Consulting



companies to implement an internal audit function

and its processes to the unique ME environment, such

that they retain compliance with global standards,

while accounting for cultural and regulatory factors

specific to the region

ME organisations

Birzeit Consulting ME helps ME- public and private

organisations to have an effective and efficient

internal audit function in accordance with internal

auditing standards set by regional authorities and / or

the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

Training






implementing the internal audit function in the ME,

and effective ways of handling dilemmas which arise

in their ME transition

ME organisations


the leading global standards in internal audit, the



how to manage the pitfalls during this journey.

Compliance, good governance, risk management, and

internal control are interrelated and interdependent.

We offer several training programs in this regard, in

addition to highly specialised internal audit training

programs

RISK- BASED AND PROCESS- BASED

APPRAOCH

We apply and utilize the latest auditing

literature and standards issued by the

Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA),

International Organization of

Supreme Audit Institutions

(INTOSAI)


Risk Management

As our world grows more complex, so does risk. As

our risk grows, so does an organization’s obligation

to effectively manage it. Threats to businesses

develop rapidly and are increasingly material in a

quickly evolving global marketplace. Risk

management challenges can quickly overwhelm

individuals and departments. Unless well-managed,

organizations often face unpleasant financial

consequences

Our approach applies world class expertise to both the

simple and the complex risk management challenges that

often frustrate and overwhelm organizations. It delivers

exactly what a client needs, when they need it. As a result,

our clients remain focused on their business, meet their

objectives, and capitalize on their strengths.

Consulting



companies to implement Enterprise Risk

Management (ERM) to the unique ME environment,

such that they retain compliance with global

standards, while accounting for cultural and

regulatory factors specific to the region.

ME organisations

Birzeit Consulting ME helps ME- public and private

organisations to optimise the risk management of the

spectrum of their entity’s risks, including financial

and performance risks.

Training






implementing the risk management strategies in the

ME, and effective ways of handling dilemmas which

arise in their ME transition

ME organisations


the leading global standards in risk management, the



how to manage the pitfalls during this journey. While

compliance, good governance, risk management, and

internal control are interrelated and interdependent,

we offer several risk management courses targeting

all levels of management and those charged with

governance

OUR RISK MANAGEMENT

SOLUTIONS

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

Merger and Acquisition Due

Diligence

Financial Risk Management

Operations Risk Management

Political Risk Management

RISK PRIORITIZATION AND

SCENARIOS

We help to prioritise the risks of

international engagement, and develop

strategies to address priority risks


Markets and Industries

Markets

Middle East and the GCC countries

United Kingdom

European Union Member Countries

USA

Industries

Public Sector

Private Sector

Nonprofit

Financial Institutions / Banks

Short List of Clients Our Senior

Executives Provided Service For

The following is a short list of clients some of our

team members provided service for:

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

(FINRA) expert witness and discovery of money

laundering investigation in Russia, (USA)

Primary witness for State of NH regulatory

action against Ameriprise Financial, a 3.61

billion dollar US company that was subsequently

fines 7.5 Million dollars for forgery and

fraudulent transaction.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office

(FCO)

Several United Nations Agencies, including the

UNDP

Leading extractive (oil and gas) companies

working in high-risk emerging markets,

including North Africa

Global professional service firms establishing

local presences in high-risk countries, including

the Caucasus, the ME and Maghreb, and Africa

Several Australian government departments, for

example:

Queensland Health;

Department of Employment, Economic

Development and Innovation;

o Fair Trading

o Queensland Boating and Fisheries

Patrol

o Bio-Security Queensland

Department of Main Roads; and

Rockhampton Regional Council

PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE

It is not enough to have the best practices in

books and manuals. Only adequately trained

employees who are dedicated to their entity,

as well as sound professional ethics, can

help you protect your firm from fraud,

money laundering, and help you achieve

your strategic objectives

FREE DIAGNOSIS

We diagnose the subject matter of our

prospective clients free of charge by being

physically present at their premises

IN-HOUSE TRAINING

We offer in-house training for most of our

training courses. Check our Website or

contact us for more details


Associates and Partners

Mohammed J. Masoud, CPA, CFE, CICA, MBA

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Middle East (Regional Office); Amman-Jordan

Dr. Raul Valverde, RPA, FAIA, CICA, AMA,

PhD

Senior Consultant

Quebec - Canada

Dr. Barihan A Nabil, ACMA, PhD

Senior Consultant

Amman - Jordan

Mr. Robert McKellar, MBA, MA

Senior Consultant

London - UK

Mr. Ralph Lake, CFE, MA

Senior Consultant

London - UK

Ms. Siobhan C. Fitzgerald, CFE

Senior Consultant

Washington DC - USA

Mr. Phares K. Sekalala, CPA, CFE

Senior Consultant

Ontario - Canada

Mr. Aftab Amin Ali, CFE, CCS, CFS, CAMS,

CFCI, A. F. I. I.

Senior Consultant

London - UK

Mr. Ahmed El Safty, CPA, CISA, MBA

Senior Consultant

Washington DC - USA

Mr. Qasim M. Qasim CEO and Managing Partner, Allied Advisors LLC,

(A QFC licensed Islamic Finance Advisors)

Senior Executive Manager and Consultant-

Doha - Qatar

Ms. H. Mohammed Ismail

Executive Office Manager

Regional Office; Amman - Jordan


Anti Fraud / Corruption

Internal Control

Good Governance

Internal Audit

Risk Management Birzeit Consulting ME is committed to providing you with

cutting edge knowledge and best practice to succeed in

your business at the regional and global level. Though your

ultimate business success is yours, we are committed to

support you in achieving it. We fully engage with all levels

of our clients’ teams to ensure that our results are

sustainable and owned by your organization, not imposed

from outside.

In an era of globalization and technological change, what

looked workable yesterday may not necessarily be

applicable today or tomorrow. Simply, success comes from

a constant review of external realities and internal

adaptation.

merger

BIRZEIT CONSULTING ME

Mohammed J. Masoud, CPA, CFE, CICA, MBA

Co-founder and Managing Director

Jabal Al-Hussein- 197 Khalid Bin

Al-Waleed St. Anshasi Buld. 3rd Floor, Office 304

P.O. Box 5567 Amman 11953 - Jordan

Jordan +962 (79) 60 60 90 2

Palestine +970(598) 22 66 44

USA +1 (703) 879 - 8384

E-mail:[email protected]

Robert McKellar, MA, MBA

Director

1A Bathurst St,

London

UK W2 2SD

+44 (0) 77 89 86 67 43

+44 207 706 1617

E-mail:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Birzeit Consulting Corporate Profile

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