The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the United Kingdom announced today that Lisa Osofsky will begin her five-year term as director of the authority today, August 28, 2018.
On June 4 this year, Osofsky’s appointment was announced by the attorney general at the time, Jeremy Wright QC MP. However, her initial starting date was set for September 3, 2018. Mark Thompson served as the Interim Director from the end of April until yesterday. Now, he returns to his role as chief operating officer.
Lisa Osofsky’s extensive career
Osofsky has had an extensive career in the legal industry, focusing on fraud and finance Regulation . Beginning in 1989, her first position in the industry was at the US Department of Justice (DOJ) where she was an Assistant US Attorney, Special Assistant Fraud Section.
Lisa Osofsky
Source: LinkedIn
In this role, she prosecuted federal crimes ranging from public corruption and fraud to bank robbery and government contract conspiracies, according to her LinkedIn profile. Most recently, she worked at Exiger where she was Managing Director, Regional Leader and Head of Investigations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Throughout her career, Osofsky has pursued a range of white-collar crime. For the US government, she has prosecuted more than 100 cases. In addition to the DOJ, she has also worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Goldman Sachs, among other roles.
Commenting on her new role, Osofsky said: “I am honoured to be the next Director of the Serious Fraud Office. I look forward to building on the SFO’s successful record in the fight against economic crime and leading an emboldened SFO to even greater heights.”
Mark Thompson
Source: Times Newspapers Limited
The former interim director, Thompson, added: “Lisa has had a distinguished international career focusing on financial crime in both law enforcement and private sector roles. I would like to welcome Lisa to the SFO and look forward to working with her as the next Director.”
