AFB Practice Workshop: When Cultures Collide

International banks operating in the UK often navigate complex cultural tensions between home‑country norms and UK regulatory expectations. These differences can shape how risk is assessed, how issues are escalated, and how accountability is exercised with direct implications for compliance and supervisory outcomes.

This interactive HKA workshop, delivered in partnership with Association of Foreign Banks (AFB), explores how cultural friction arises in cross‑border banking environments and how it can unintentionally create compliance blind spots, weaken escalation pathways and undermine effective challenge.

Through practical case studies, scenario‑based discussion and expert insight, participants will examine how to align behaviours, decision‑making and communication styles with the UK’s principles‑based regulatory framework, while strengthening speak‑up culture and accountability across international teams.

Why Attend?

• Understand how UK regulators interpret and respond to cultural misalignment
• Learn how to embed proportionate, judgement‑led regulatory decision‑making
• Strengthen “speak‑up” culture, escalation pathways, and internal challenge
• Apply practical techniques to support cultural alignment in international teams

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is designed for those responsible for managing culture, conduct, and regulatory risk across AFB member banks. It will be particularly valuable for:

• Senior Managers
• MLROs
• Heads of Compliance, Risk and Legal
• Culture and Conduct Leads

Speaker Bios

Priya Giuliani

Priya Giuliani is a Partner in HKA’s Investigations & Compliance practice with nearly 30 years of experience working with international banks, regulators, and law enforcement on financial crime risk management, governance, conduct and culture. She has extensive Skilled Person experience under the FCA’s s166 framework and deep insight into how cultural misalignment, weak escalation pathways and hierarchical norms can create compliance blind spots, the core themes explored in this workshop.

Priya is a recognised thought leader on organisational culture, behavioural science and the link between human behaviour and regulatory outcomes. She recently authored Culture Isn’t a Patch, It’s the Platform, which highlights culture as the “invisible operating system” of organisations, and she regularly speaks at industry conferences on how behavioural science can transform compliance and strengthen cultural integrity.

Noémi Klein

Noémi Klein is a Director in HKA’s Investigations & Compliance team, bringing more than a decade of experience in financial crime risk management, compliance and investigations across global banks, consulting firms and regulatory environments. Her work includes Skilled Person Reviews, business‑wide risk assessments, target operating model transformations, and large‑scale remediation programmes for major international financial institutions.

Noémi’s career includes roles at international financial institutions including ING, Standard Chartered, Citibank and MoneyGram, where she has worked across Europe, Asia, the US and the Middle East. She regularly contributes to industry dialogue through speaking engagements, moderating workshops, and authoring thought leadership.

About the AFB

Association of Foreign Banks (AFB) was established in 1947 to be the voice of foreign banks in the UK. Foreign banks oversee over half of all regulated capital in the UK and significantly underpin UK GDP. They engage in a wide range of banking and investment business activities, primarily in the wholesale markets. Foreign banks make a significant contribution to the UK as a major international financial centre; and to the depth and breadth of markets globally, facilitating global trade.

These firms play an important part in the UK economy by investing and supporting new business, as well as providing jobs across the country. AFB represents the interests of foreign banks in the UK to stakeholders, including HM Treasury and regulators. It has around 170 banks in its membership, representing c80% of the market, including GSIBs such as Citigroup, Bank of China, JP Morgan, and BNP Paribas.

Bookings

Bookings to be made directly with AFB.

Please note you will receive confirmation of your booking via email within 24 hours. Should you not receive confirmation, please contact AFB to double-check if your booking was successful. If you would like to submit a question or have any specific areas that you would like the session to address, please send them to AFB at secretariat@foreignbanks.org.uk.

Please note that the cost charged for this event is payable to AFB. HKA Global is not charging AFB or members for hosting this event.  The delegate fees received for this workshop are invested in the ongoing running and administration of AFB.