Syeda Mehar Zehra is a money laundering reporting officer and head of anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions compliance at HBL Currency Exchange in Pakistan. Currently, she is establishing an AML and compliance structure and enforcing compliance culture in Pakistan’s currency exchange sector.

Zehra frequently speaks to the financial crime compliance (FCC) community at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) conferences on FCC, technology and auditing. Recently, she was recognized as an ACAMS lead subject-matter expert and as a key content advisor for ACAMS certificate curriculum development. She is a valued author, featured in ACAMS Today  and Forbes  discussing FCC and innovative technologies.

In 2010, Zehra started her FCC career with Standard Chartered Pakistan, where she carried out core-level FCC analysis. She identified and analyzed real-world cases related to money laundering and terrorist financing, grey telephony and real estate cross-border rental fraud, among others. These cases inspired her to pursue her Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification in 2012. Zehra became Pakistan’s first female CAMS recipient. In 2015, she joined the Standard Chartered’s FCC team in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2017, she joined KPMG Pakistan, where she has developed a financial crime-risk-management framework and conducted consultancy and audit engagements with KPMG US, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates.

Her academic achievements include a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering and a Master of Business and Management degree.