Founded 154 years ago, Standard Bank is one of the largest financial service providers in Africa, operating in 20 countries across the continent and other key locations across the world. The bank recently went through a plan to bolster its internal control by significantly expanding the size and scope of its compliance and legal functions.

In compliance alone Standard Bank plans to add to its existing 400 employees, following a hiring spree that saw 300 additional compliance personnel joining in 2015. The legal team has recently been a key element of Standard Bank’s strategy to improve controls, as well, by undertaking an extensive program to train staff across the bank to improve their legal knowledge and to spot red flags related to bribery.

Headed by Ian Sinton, a lawyer with over 14 years of experience at the bank, Standard Bank’s legal team provides support the company across its diverse areas of work from real estate finance to investment banking operations. Individual lawyers within the team have been described by sources as ‘responsive, decisive and able to react quickly to unforeseen circumstances’ and have been praised for their ‘commercial outlook’.