By STEPHEN RAE for AML Intelligence
MEXICO’s Elisa de Anda Madrazo was today (Friday) named as the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) new president – only the second woman to serve in the hugely influential role.
The news was widely welcomed as de Anda is regarded as a very capable official committed to the global fight against financial crime.
This evening she said: “The FATF Presidency is not simply a job for me. It is the reason why I started working on [Mexican government] and on financial intelligence issues. I have a deep commitment to the FATF Mandate: combating money laundering and terrorist financing.”
“At its core, it is about contributing to the security and protection of our societies, economies and nations. What the FATF does matters. I have the greatest sense of responsibility regarding the nomination of Mexico and the election of the members of the FATF as its President,” she added.
Earlier former FATF president Dr Marcus Pleyer welcomed her appointment: “She is the right person at the right time. There is hardly someone among delegations with more FATF experience – a lawyer by background, she has served many years as a delegate of her country,” he said.
Another agency insider told AML Intelligence: “Elisa is very bright. I think she is going to be a great President. She is someone who can bring people together and show leadership. That is something that FATF badly needs and I think she will be a great success.”
“It will also be good to get a Latin American view of fighting financial crime around the FATF table. Elisa will bring a fresh perspective on taking on dirty money,” a national delegate said.
de Anda served as Vice President to Germany’s Dr Marcus Pleyer (2020-2022) and was re-appointed for a second term from July 2021 to June 2023.
In his statement Germany’s Dr Marcus Pleyer commented: “Who could be better prepared for this position.” He said she had the wisdom and diplomatic skills to tackle complex problems.
Pleyer said among the challenges ahead were “the start of the 5th round of mutual evaluations with a new rulebook and the current geopolitics that make it not easier for an international organisation to find consensus – to name just a few.”
de Anda currently serves as Director General in Mexico’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. Previously, she served as Attaché to the Mexican Embassy in Washington DC (2015-2019).
In addition, in 2016, de Anda was designated by the Mexican Government as Coordinator of the Mexican Mutual Evaluation Process by the FATF – in collaboration with the IMF. In this capacity she served as the representative and point of contact between the IMF assessment team and the Mexican authorities.
Within the FATF, she has served as the head of the Mexican delegation, as Co-Chair of the Global Network and Co-ordination Group (GNCG), as member of the Steering Group and as Co-chair of the Contact Group on Malaysia’s Membership.
Before joining the Mexican government, she practiced law as associate in law firms. She received her law degree from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and has a Master degree in Law (LLM, 2011) from Harvard Law School and a Master in Public Administration (MPA, 2015) from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
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