Fraud expert to head PwC’s forensic lab

RUSSELL Wallace has been appointed forensic technology director of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) new forensic laboratory.

The new Leeds-based state-of-the art facility will be led by Mr Wallace, a director with more than 27 years’ investigations experience, who has recently relocated from PwC’s Hong Kong office.

Mr Wallace is an ex-commercial crime agent with the New South Wales Police in Sydney who has applied forensic technology in support of fraud investigations, corruption and other financial crimes in emerging economies such as China and Asia for the last 10 years.

His work with the counter crime unit in Australia as an investigator means he is adept at interviewing and getting to the facts.

He joined PwC in Sydney in August 2000 and spent the last nine years in Hong Kong drawing on his combined experience and capabilities in law enforcement, computer forensics and database technology.

The laboratory is a secure forensic environment which centralises and organises data for examination by investigators, forensic accountants and lawyers.

The lab allows for the identification of irregularities and potential fraud indicators, and maintains the integrity of electronic evidence should the findings be required to be used in Court.

Mr Wallace said: “Understanding technology, and having the knowledge and experience to interpret it, is vital to the future of investigations. Basically we are searching for the smoking gun in a corporate information and financial system.

“Such tools underpin not only our investigation and e-disclosure services, but also our proactive services including fraud detection, and helping companies not to pay more than required for software licenses”.

Fran Marwood, director and Northern leader of fraud and investigation services, PwC, said fraud was high on the corporate agenda.

“As a consequence of current economic conditions, we have seen a large increase in fraud. We use forensic technology on almost all of the investigations we carry out for clients.

“The investment helps to consolidate our position as the leading forensic accounting and investigations team in the region.”