Lisa Quest: An Expert in Anti-money Laundering & Combatting Terrorist financing

A key role of Co-head of Economic Crime and Partner at Oliver Wyman– Lisa Quest is acting as a subject matter between government and financial services firms. Lisa is helping governments across Europe to design and setup more effective national frameworks to combat Money Laundering and  Terrorist Financing, including how they can work more effectively within the public sector, leverage agile technology delivery and create high-functioning public/private partnerships to share information and reduce the flow of funds to criminal activities.
In an interview conducted between Lisa Quest and Insights Success, we focus on her work developing ground-breaking research and publishing numerous white papers on the topic, as well as her career to date. Below are the highlights of the interview:
Give a brief overview of your background and your role at Oliver Wyman.
I started at Oliver Wyman as a graduate. I have had an interesting journey, taking time out to work in Private Equity, returning to academia as a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, and Political Science (LSE) and spreading my time across charitable commitments. I’ve always felt that this portfolio approach to spending time on different things with different people has been really helpful and has broadened my view of the world and ways of thinking, as well as my ability to tackle problems.
How do you maintain the balance between your professional & personal life?
I have a fairly good set of rules in place to maintain work-life balance and ensure that I’m spending the quality time that I want on my own areas of interest and my family. Having children has been a really good catalyst for change and has helped me to stick to my boundaries. I also maintain an open and honest dialogue with my teams about other things that are happening in my life, where I require a bit more flexibility with work.
What was your life-changing event/ incident that changed your life? 
My life-changing event was having my first child. It was an equally thrilling and terrifying new adventure that we’re still learning to navigate.
What strategies do you undertake to make your employees resourceful? 
I make sure that I always have an open and honest dialogue with my teams and that they feel empowered to come to me with any areas they think are holding them back. This way, we can quickly tackle obstacles that are making them less efficient or areas that bother them, helping them be more resourceful.
What are some of the vital attributes, in your opinion, that every leader should possess? 
Every leader should have a high emotional quotient (EQ) and empathy.
How necessary is it to align business with technology and what are its outcomes? 
It’s incredibly important. So much time is lost on technology that is not aligned to business needs.
What advice would you like to give to the emerging entrepreneurs? 
Find advocates who believe in you and support your vision – you’ll have dark days and you will need the lift.
About the Company 
Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 60 cities across 29 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. The firm has more than 5,000 professionals around the world who work with clients to optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities. Oliver Wyman is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies [NYSE: MMC].