Global Intelligence

Your expert for questions

Marina Dorn
Director, Forensic Services at PwC Germany
Tel: +49 151 55997203
Email

Safeguarding the integrity of your company

Trust in companies has become more important than ever. Organizations are continuously confronted with challenges that threaten their integrity. Whether it relates to fraudulent activities within a company, conformity with ESG guidelines for sustainable management or reviewing your business partners, the experts at PwC will assist you in assessing such global risks and in strengthening your compliance management system.

Our Global Intelligence Team, which operates around the world, will help you to detect potential risks and assist you in researching them thoroughly and comprehensively. To this end, we draw on extensive background research based on publicly available sources, databases and social media in order to protect your company and safeguard its integrity.

As a business leader, you draw on information and insights to make nearly every important decision. Regardless of whether this relates to assessing suppliers, tapping into new markets, strategic reorientation, acquisitions, the appointment of key personnel, developing new areas of business or the use of forensic data to respond to incidents or even crises, we will assist you in gathering the information you need.

What matters to you – how we assist companies

Business Partner Review

Get to know your business partners in depth with our assistance.

Before you enter into any new business relationship, you should first assess the risks it entails for your company. To this end, we will perform an integrity due diligence (IDD) process to identify the key data for you. To do so, we use publicly accessible information as well as paid databases. We analyze information on the basis of categories such as corporate culture, economic and financial situation, reputation and any relationships with public officials or government-related entities. We will – of course – also research whether there are any indications of corruption or other criminal activities or whether the company is included on any sanctions list. Furthermore, we will assist you in complying with regulatory requirements at a global level. This includes laws such as the UK Bribery Act and the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

ESG due diligence

We will research whether the conduct of a company and/or person is ESG-compliant for you.

Do you also believe that ESG factors play an important role within your business model and business operations and that they are already exerting a significant influence on your investment decisions? Together with our Deals and Sustainability teams, we will assist you in defining the relevant ESG criteria and incorporating them into your investment decision process and elsewhere. Our Global Intelligence Team will assist you in identifying and evaluating integrity risks. With a focus on governance questions, we will analyze – among other matters – the general company information as well as available media and press reports about the specified company, identify key persons and shareholders up to the level of economic beneficiaries and incorporate this information into our research. To do this, we use our access to the relevant databases from around the world, such as sanctions lists and commercial registers as well as court and media databases.

Competitive intelligence

We will go through your competitors with a fine-tooth comb.

You can improve your market position by learning more about your competitive environment. We target your competitors to identify their market position and partners as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Understanding the actions of others enables you to refine your strategy more effectively and to make the right decisions.

Forensic investigations

We will minimize the effects of white-collar crime.

Have you conducted business with the wrong business partner? The effects of fraud and corruption can be fatal for companies. Our research will usually supplement your own internal special forensic investigations with the following goal: We will provide a breakdown of the connections between the parties concerned and will use publicly accessible sources to detect indications of potential violations of the applicable laws, rules and guidelines. We use specialized technology to conduct our research. For example, we use a graphic analysis tool to visualize the relevant information and connections in a comprehensible manner.

Asset tracing

We will assist you in tracking down assets.

Do you have suspicions that assets are being intentionally moved or hidden in order to conceal their existence or ownership? Would you like to have pledged collateral reviewed or traced? Are you concerned about theft or “asset stripping” within your company? Our experts specialize in the task of identifying the company or persons that assets across the world belong to. This means that you can reach informed strategic decisions and respond quickly if assets go missing.

Pre-employment screening

We will provide you with information that allows you to make the best possible decisions when selecting new employees.

Would you like to make the best possible decisions when it comes to recruiting new employees? We will assist you in screening candidates before they join your staff. This means that you can verify the information provided to you during the recruitment process and make smart decisions. We will shed light on the careers and professional backgrounds of potential candidates and current employees in order to identify any risks that may exist. In addition, we will examine information available online and conduct research, e.g. with regard to sanctions lists and blacklists.

Geopolitical risks

Do your homework with us before conquering new markets.

Anyone who wants to tap into a new market must first understand how business is conducted there. Our experts will prepare extensive and individually tailored reports on political and business-related risks in countries where politics and business are oftentimes not clearly separated. We will analyze political and economic developments around the world and assist you in maintaining an overview of the potential risks, e.g. political risks, changes in government, potential supply chain disruptions, tax particularities, bribery and corruption as well as export and import licenses. We thus support your management in planning launches into new international markets. We assess the competencies, reputations and market positions of your potential local business partners so that you can select the right ones for a successful launch into new markets.

Our team

PwC’s Global Intelligence Team is structured as a global network consisting of more than 3,600 forensics experts in around 70 countries. We can therefore offer you access to an extensive expert network and to specialists from a large number of countries around the world.

Innovative technologies as a factor for success

Whenever we conduct background research, we follow a standardized approach that can, if necessary, be tailored to your specific situation. The innovative tools that we use for our research are what make the difference here.

Data visualization and analysis

Understanding complex data with ease

Our experienced experts are well familiarized with market-leading software for data visualization and analysis. Regardless of whether a complex fraud investigation or in-depth research is called for, our team will assist you in sorting and understanding the gathered information quickly, efficiently and effectively. 

  • Simplification: We can pool the large volumes of data used from various sources into a central database. You can decide for yourself whether to import or manually enter data from other software programs.
  • Visualization: We will assist you with the visualization of complex sets of relationships. We present information in easily understandable graphics so that you can make smart decisions.
  • Identification: The experts at PwC identify trends, patterns and relationships within complex data and single out areas for further research.
  • Collaboration: We will share data with you via a secure web interface so that successful collaboration is easy.

RADAR

Regular risk monitoring

RADAR is an early warning system for detecting an extensive range of risks, be they of a financial or regulatory nature. The system also covers the topic areas of compliance and corporate reputation. RADAR’s unique technology scans electronic data from various languages for negative information regarding companies, associations and individual persons. 

Our customers regularly provide us with a large variety of data regarding suppliers, customers and partners so that we can ensure continuous monitoring. Our experts analyze this data and compile all the risks relevant to business and any other hazards into a comprehensive report. RADAR also scans the major social media platforms as these are currently a growing source of potential risk.

Possible applications of RADAR

  • Integrity due diligence for high-risk third parties with a focus on bribery and corruption
  • Monitoring of complex supply chains, automated alarms for incidents that could result in major defaults or financial losses
  • Cyber security threat intelligence
  • Monitoring of ongoing compliance reviews and expanded due diligence within the financial services industry, including know-your-customer monitoring and anti-money laundering efforts
  • Constant monitoring of target companies as part of a due diligence

Connected Risk Intelligence – a global news and network analysis for identifying acute and potential risks:

Our Connected Risk Intelligence early warning system searches through worldwide media reports for trends and provides you with sentiment analyses, reporting on topics affecting you, your customers and partners, and more.

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Contact us

Marina Dorn

Marina Dorn

Director, Forensic Services, PwC Germany

Tel: +49 151 55997203

Cornelia  Steensgaard-Hansen

Cornelia Steensgaard-Hansen

Senior Manager, Forensic Services, PwC Germany

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