By ALISHA HOULIHAN for AMLi
MONTHS of speculation of departures at the top of ACAMS proved true today (Monday) when the organisation finally announced CEO Scott Liles has stepped down.
Liles is to be replaced on an interim basis by the company’s COO Mariah Gause as it launches a search for its new chief, the private equity owned firm said.
Liles and the company’s French-owner Wendel had refused to comment on widespread speculation of his impending departure. The company did not respond to several inquiries from AML Intelligence over the past few weeks.
In a statement this afternoon (Monday) however the company, worth an estimated €500M, said Liles will continue to serve as an executive advisor through the end of 2023.
“Inside the organisation there have been fears of more departures for some time. We hope this brings an end to matters but that seems unlikely now. There have been quite a few people leaving and we worry more will be going now,” said an ACAMS insider.
“There has been a talk about a culture clash between the company and our Paris-based owners but so far that is not something I have been across,” the source said.
Gause takes on the CEO role on an interim basis, after joining the training company in November 2020 as Vice President of Finance and Global Operations. She was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and appointed to the ACAMS Board of Directors in March 2022.
Prior to ACAMS, she served as the Vice President of Finance at Health Care Service Corporation.
“Liles and Gause both joined ACAMS in 2020, and under their leadership, the Company has increased its global presence, introduced several new initiatives to help its global membership navigate the rapidly changing geopolitical and payments environments, developed new bespoke offerings for the public sector including law enforcement agencies, and further strengthened its thought leadership pillar,” ACAMS claimed in a statement.
Adam Reinmann, Chairman of ACAMS’ Board of Directors said the company was “grateful to Scott for the pivotal role he has played and wish him continued success in the future and look forward to working with Mariah to lead the organization through this transition.”
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