EXPERTISE
Our People
Our Experts
Stephon Grey
Lead Expert | Managing Director and International Laison
Mark Hood
Expert Consultant | Contract & Procurement Investigations
James A. Green
Expert Consultant | Document Examination
Marcus Wide
Expert Consultant | Forensic Auditing & Investigative Accounting
Francois Griffith
Expert Consultant | Information Security & Computer Forensics
Darrin Carmichael
Expert Consultant | Special Investigations
Our Assurance & Advisory Team
Tricia Poliah
Practice Director | Contract & Procurement Investigations, Accounting & Tax Advisory and Audit & Assurance
Eronda Lewis
Country Director - St. Kitts & Nevis | Accounting & Tax Advisory and Audit & Assurance
Hilary Lawrence
Country Director - Grenada | Accounting & Tax Advisory and Audit & Assurance
Shivanand Jagdeo
Consultant | Accounting & Tax Advisory and Management Advisory
Maurissa Jemmott
Executive Administrator
Stephon Grey CFE, CICA, Forensic CPA Educator
Lead Expert | Managing Director and International Laison
Grenadian born and Trinbagonian national, Stephon Grey is the Head of Forensic and Investigatory Services at CIFA Consulting. He is an International Asset Tracing expert, Certified Fraud Examiner and Forensic Auditor with over 20 years experience.
Experience
Stephon’s particular areas of expertise include:
- Contractor Audits for Oil and Gas
- Corruption Investigation
- Forensic Accounting and Auditing
- ‘Follow the Money’ Investigations, and
- Corporate Intelligence
Stephon regularly presents on a variety of Asset Tracing & Forensics topics on the international stage. As an Asset Tracing expert, he has served as an advisor in the implementation process of asset recovery agencies in the Caribbean & East Africa. With clientele in the Caribbean, Americas, Asia and Europe, he has also served as a consultant for five of the world’s leading international investigative and audit firms, conducting Assets Tracing & Forensic Audit assignments.
Additionally, Stephon is considered an Oil and Gas Contract and Procurement audit expert, having conducting over 60 such exercises in the energy sector as an Independent Assessor to three major energy conglomerates This work resulted in multimillions of dollars in contract fraud and abuse being identified, recovered and saved.
He is the Founder and Executive Head of the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting (CIFA) and has carried out International Asset Tracing and Recovery speaking engagements in the Caribbean, Ecuador, Thailand, Florida, Ethiopia, Miami, and Hong Kong.
Stephon is:
- a member of the International Bar Association,
- a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners,
- a member of the Institute of Internal Control Auditors, and
- a Forensic CPA Society (USA) Educator.
To contact Stephon, kindly email stephon.grey@cifa-consulting.com
Mark E. Hood, BSc (hons), FRICS, ACIArb, MISTT
Expert Consultant | Contract & Procurement Investigations
Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS), a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) and Honorary Secretary to the Trinidad & Tobago Chapter, he is a past Board member of the Institute of Surveyors of Trinidad & Tobago (MISTT), an Honorary Member of the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting and is a Certified Mediator.
His specialties include Quantity Surveying, Contract Claims and Dispute Resolution for Contractors and Employers under the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and other Forms of Construction Contract. Claims involve researching and analysing for the dual purpose of documenting and arguing commercial issues to achieve settlement or create a foundation for dispute resolution.
Mark has successfully acted as case manager on several Dispute Board and Arbitration disputes, as Sole Arbitrator, as a Member of an ICC Tribunal, as an Expert Witness and as a Mediator, on many dispute resolution matters. He has also conducted training courses on the FIDIC forms of Contract and has undertaken technical authorship on various construction commercial subjects.
Mark has over forty years’ experience in the construction and development industry worldwide, having been involved in quantity surveying, contracts and project management, contract claims, mediation, dispute boards, and arbitration on a variety of projects from office buildings and hospitals to high-rise luxury apartments, and on major road, rail and pipeline projects, industrial and power plants, hydro dams and oil and gas facilities.
Since his UK origins and education, Mark has spent many years living and working throughout the USA and the Caribbean and has also been involved in some major projects in the Middle East, the Far East and Europe.
James A. Green
Expert Consultant | Document Examination
James is certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, and a member and current Vice President of the American Society of Questioned Document. He is certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners and is the current Treasurer. He is also a published writer and has given expert testimony to approximately 140 cases over around the world.
In Private Practice he provides his expert services to civil and criminal cases in document examination to the Eugene, Oregon Police Department. Trained with the U.S. Postal Inspection Crime Laboratory he can also provide a variety of examination processes, including signature and handwriting comparisons, altered medical records, contracts, wills, etc. He does this by utilizing state-of-the-art laboratory instruments.
He has facilitated several document examination seminars and workshops to private and government security personnel, sponsored by the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting (CIFA): Port of Spain, Trinidad and Castries, St. Lucia, and has also presented several times to the Oregon Association of Licensed Investigators at their annual conferences.
Marcus Wide
Lead Expert | Forensic Auditing & Investigative Accounting
Marcus is a consultant, based in Baker & Partner’s London office. He has investigated or liquidated, for the benefit of creditors, most of the major frauds with a Caribbean base. These include one of the world’s largest criminal frauds, in which the principal is serving 110 years in prison. Marcus has recovered or traced assets into 40 jurisdictions worldwide and given evidence in criminal fraud trials in several countries.
His vast experience and incredible knowledge in matters of fraud and forensic accounting will reinforce the firm’s ability to work on highly complex multi-jurisdictional fraud matters requiring litigious asset recovery.
Marcus was admitted to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1971 whilst working for Cooper Brothers and, on the recommendation of the Senior Partner, took a transfer to the Canadian firm. He then sought a transfer into the Insolvency group finding a particular interest in that area of practice. In 1982 Marcus obtained his Trustee in Bankruptcy Licence and was made a Vice President of the insolvency arm of the firm and in 1984 became a Senior Vice President and Partner.
He had responsibility for Atlantic Canada, and subsequently for oversight of insolvency in the Caribbean. From early in his career, Marcus became involved in reviewing fraudulent or criminal activity. He previously worked with PwC in the Caribbean for 15 years, investigating and pursuing assets in the area of fraudulently run offshore banks.
After retiring from PwC and his continuing consultancy, he joined Grant Thornton as Managing Director of their British Virgin Islands (BVI) office where he won many significant assignments. These included being the principal Joint Liquidator of Stanford International Bank, with book liabilities in excess of U$8 billion and over 20,000 depositors. Investigations and asset tracing have given rise to multiple litigations in a number of jurisdictions not only to recover assets, but to claim compensation from persons aiding and abetting the fraud. Marcus was also Joint Liquidator of CL Financial Limited, a Trinidadian conglomerate with 29 operating companies and allegations of improper dealings with related parties to investigate and seek recovery of assets or value. Creditors in that matter approximated US$4 billion. A Chilean conglomerate fraud had a number of BVI companies which in turn-controlled property in a number of other jurisdictions as well as property in BVI. Claims in that matter ran to approximately US$120 million.
Francois Griffith
Expert Consultant | Information Security & Computer Forensics
Barbadian national Francois Griffith is a practising Computer Forensic Examiner and an Information Security Consultant.
Experience
Francois’ particular areas of expertise, both locally and internationally include:
- Information Security Consulting, and
- Computer Forensic Services.
Francois provides services to Law Enforcement Agencies, Government Departments, Law Firms, Financial Institutions, Hotels, Healthcare Providers, and international Organisations.
He has been appointed by the High Court of Barbados as an independent computer forensic expert and has provided expert witness testimony in severe administrative hearings. He has also carried out forensic duties as the local arm of international Forensic Investigations under commission from overseas entities.
A former lecturer at the University of The West Indies, Francois acknowledges the opportunities his country has provided for him and is dedicated to giving back by raising awareness of the disciplines of Information Security and Computer Forensics across the region.
He is also a Board Member of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), Barbados Chapter.
Francois is:
- the holder of a Master’s Degree in Information Security and Computer Forensics,
- the 1st person in the Eastern Caribbean to achieve the EnCE (Encase Certified Examiner) Certification, and
- a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
Darrin Carmichael
Expert Consultant | Special Investigations
Darrin is a Trinidad and Tobago national award recipient (2019), receiving the Humming Bird Medal Gold awarded for Community service. He is a Corporate Security, Fraud and Operational Risk Management professional with over thirty years’ experience in the field.
He has gained a wealth of experience having worked extensively in two of the most highly regulated fields. He is an Aviation Security professional having been IATA certified in Airline Security Management and Investigations, a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Personal Protection Specialist (PPS), and a Certified Trainer qualified in the management, training and administration of security personnel in various disciplines such as, Residential Security, Industrial Security, Financial Services Risk Management and Aviation Security. Additionally, he is a certified Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO) designated to operate at any International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) certified Port and Shipping facility.
In the area of fraud prevention and investigation, Darrin is regarded as one of the country’s leading experts in both the prevention of fraud through various training and awareness programs as well as fraud detection having spearheaded and successfully solved numerous high-profile investigations within the financial services sector and the aviation industry. He has also been a feature speaker at various Money Laundering, Fraud and Investigative training conferences and has hosted training seminars for and on behalf of banks, insurance companies, chambers of commerce and the airline industry. He is currently a senior lecturer/trainer at the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting (CIFA) and a professional consulting forensic investigator
He believes that his most treasured and valuable asset he has developed over the years is his network of civilian, security, policing, financial, IT and aviation professionals spread across all strata within the Caribbean, North America and Latin America.
Tricia Poliah FCCA, CA, FCPA, CFE, MSc
Practice Director | Contract & Procurement Investigations, Accounting & Tax Advisory and Audit & Assurance
Trinidadian national, Tricia is the Practice Director of CIFA Consulting. She is a Chartered Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner and Forensic Certified Public Accountant with over 24 years of local and international experience in varied industries including oil & gas and manufacturing with clients from publicly listed entities as well as state-owned and privately held companies.
Experience
Tricia’s particular areas of expertise, both locally and internationally, include:
- Financial Reporting & Taxation at the consolidation level
- Controllership & Decision Support
- Financial Planning & Analysis
- Internal Auditing
- External Audit Consulting
- Forensic Accounting & Auditing
- Contract Compliance, including Oil & Gas, and
- Data Analytics.
She sits on the Advisory Council of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and holds directorships on a global level within the energy sector.
Notably, she has represented clients successfully defending tax assessments, amounting to millions of dollars. She is also an experienced Internal Auditor, who has led the implementation of Internal Audit departments in multimillion dollar state-owned enterprises. In addition, as a Forensic Accountant, she has led analytical teams and prepared case files on international corruption investigations and civil litigation matters in support of forensic audit experts.
Tricia is:
- a fellowship member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK)
- a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T)
- a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (USA)
- a member of the Forensic CPA Society (USA) and
- the holder of a Master of Science in Professional Accountancy from University of London (UK).
To contact Tricia, kindly email tricia.poliah@cifa-consulting.com.
Eronda Lewis ACCA, AICB, CA
Country Director - St. Kitts & Nevis | Accounting & Tax Advisory and Audit & Assurance
Eronda is the Country Director of CIFA Consulting – St.Kitts & Nevis. She is a Chartered Certified Accountant and a Chartered Banker with over 15 years experience in the financial field.
Experience
Eronda’s particular areas of expertise include:
- Financial Statement Preparations and Audits
- Anti-Money Laundering/ Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Regulations and Audits
- Tax Preparations, and
- Project Management.
With over a decade of work experience including accounting, auditing, compliance and project management, Eronda has a significant understanding of international and local governmental regulations pertaining to individuals and corporations. She has worked in Senior Accounting roles for a number of years across multiple companies including Media Outlets, Financial Entities, Trust & Fiduciary Entities and Trading Institutions.
Her work experience in different industries from small to large entities has given her a large wealth of knowledge and experience that she is utilising to analyse current financial status for clients and provide sound advice on investments, saving and spending in order to meet customised long and short term financial goals. Her dedication to financial security and transparency to her clientele has helped her earn the trust of many different clients.
Due to her vast compliance training and experience, she serves as Compliance Officer/Compliance Auditor for multiple highly regulated entities. Eronda is also a private tutor for current ACCA students.
Eronda is:
- a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA)
- a member of The Institute of Canadian Bankers, and
- a member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean (ICAEC).
To contact Eronda, kindly email eronda.lewis@cifa-consulting.com.
Hilary Lawrence B.Acc
Country Director - Grenada | Accounting & Tax Advisory and Audit & Assurance
Grenadian national, Hilary has over 10 years experience in Accounting and Taxation, and a Lecturer in Business Management and Accounting.
Experience
Hilary’s particular areas of expertise include:
- Accounting and
- Tax
Hilary’s strong accounting and tax background, together with her passion for helping small business owners and individuals, has provided her clients with expert advice and professionalism that has translated to growth, wealth and success for her clients.
Her experience includes the pharmaceutical, construction, retail and supermarkets industries and she has worked throughout the tri-island state of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Hilary is the holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.
To contact Hilary, kindly email hilary.lawerence@cifa-consulting.com.
Shivanand Jagdeo FCCA, CA, MBA, Dip; CFAFD, ADip FCE, CQA
Consultant | Accounting & Tax Advisory and Management Advisory
Shivanand is a Chartered Accountant with fifteen (15) years work experience in the Private and State Sector in Health Care and Refining/Energy. This includes business process redesign and digitalization of finance core functions.
He has worked with Leading International Subject Matter Experts in Work Process Redesign and Business Efficiency Improvement while at the Refining/Energy Sector and facilitated the development of system workflow charting and improved business processes and has conducted compliance audits and quality assurance audits to various clients in the Health Care and Refining/Energy Sectors.
Mr. Jagdeo’s areas of expertise include:
- Business Process Re-Engineering,
- Internal Auditing,
- Quality and Financial Auditing
To contact Shivanand, kindly email shivanand.jagdeo@cifa-consulting.com.
Maurissa Jemmott
Executive Administrator
Maurissa has over fifteen years’ experience working in the forensic and special investigations. She has powerful investigative, analytics and writing skills that have been valuable to the cases completed by our firm.
Having worked on over 75 Forensic and Special Investigations assignments throughout the Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean for the past ten years. The tasks executed included case coordinating and managing, document review and cataloging, datamining, preparing verbatim and non-verbatim memorandum and statements, report writing, report editing and formatting, executing due diligence exercises via field visits to verify and validate assets.
She currently serves as the Programme Coordinator for the delivery of the FCPA Certification programme for the Caribbean region; her responsibilities include recruiting students, managing the running of classes (in person and online), and ensuring students complete their exams and become certified.
Maurissa also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Social Work and a Certificate in Human Resources Management. She serves as the Guidance Officer for CIFA, where she assists and provides academic and psychosocial guidance to CIFA’s students.
To contact Maurissa, kindly email info@cifa-consulting.com.
Request A Consultation
Speak with a representative of CIFA today to request a consultation. Please feel free to contact us at your closest location.
