Up Close with Zafar I. Anjum, Group CEO of Corporate Research and Investigations Group & ABAC Center of Excellence
Building a 30 years’ career in the areas of anti-corruption, fraud prevention, protective integrity, security, and compliance; Zafar Anjum is a highly respected professional in his field. Possessing both industry expertise and an impressive educational background, Zafar Anjum is often the first certified global investigator on the scene when multi-national EMEA corporations seek to close compliance or security gaps.
As a trusted authority in fraud prevention and securities among corporate clients, government agencies and industry groups, he is known for creating stable and secure networks across challenging global markets.
His leadership abilities create strong collaborative relationships among prevention teams, crime investigators, government officials as well as business executives seeking dynamic solutions across international marketplaces.
1. How would you describe your management style?
ABAC Group & CRI Group’s Management of business is like a family responsibility. It consists of strategic planning, prioritizing local, regional, and international work requirements while organizing work efforts to accomplish the objectives set out in our annual performance reviews. However, we work as a family across the organization and share our workload mutually.
2. Who inspires you the most and why? How have you incorporated this into your daily life?
Professional and personal inspiration is my Father, an honest and great social worker. I will never forget his consisting hard work with no shortcuts in life as true advice, which I incorporated into my personal and professional life.
3. How do you see your organization changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating/being a part of that change?
ABAC Group & CRI Group is working hard to specialize in Anti-Corruption, Compliance, and Risk Management services capabilities. We are benchmarking with accredited certification for the scope of ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System, ISO 19600 Compliance Management System, and ISO 31000 Risk Management System; best practices for Corporate Good Governance.
4. Tell me about an accomplishment or a memorable incident that shaped your career.
It was with this analysis in mind that there needed to be significant growth in the counter-corruption and counter-fraud industry within Pakistan. This is where the privatised nature of fraud investigation became a positive – although the police might not have had the resources to deal with fraud and corporate corruption in its entirety, there was certainly an incentive for private companies to increase their spending in this area. In other words, there was a clear market opportunity for the expansion of the anti-fraud and anti-corruption industry, and one that I fill with my business.
5. What would we be surprised to learn about you?
Critical Reflections on my Personal Professional Development might be surprising. Being a business owner, it is only natural that my own personal professional development has been attached to the development of my organization. As noted above, I have sought to have my organization grow in line with my field – where there has been a need to combat fraud, I have sought to conquer the resulting market. In a similar manner to the way I have sought to expand my business, I have also found it necessary to seek out personal development opportunities whenever they become available. To this end, I have consistently been seeking out academic development since 2009 and have since completed an ICA International Diploma in Financial Crime Prevention, and an MSc in Counter Fraud and Counter Corruption Studies. It is only natural, then, that I am currently seeking to not only learn academically but to contribute something to the field of academia in the form of my Ph.D. thesis.
6. What book are you reading or podcast you most recommend?
I love to read books about financial crime and corruption. I just finished Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
7. What do you do for fun?
I love to play golf, swimming, and long drives while listening to 80’s classic melodies.
