John Gilkes has joined Grant Thornton as a Forensic Advisory Services principal, based in the firm’s MetroDC office in Arlington, Virginia. Gilkes will tap into his more than 30 years of experience to enhance Grant Thornton’s forensic services offerings for both commercial and public sector clients.
 
“John will be an immediate asset for our clients and a powerful leader for our anti-fraud service offerings,” said Greg Wallig, the office managing principal of Grant Thornton’s MetroDC office. “As fraud continues to rise in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, his decades of experience will offer public and private clients the strong, reliable guidance they need during these unprecedented times.”

A recent survey published by Grant Thornton and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners explored that rise in fraud. The report, titled “The Next Normal: Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Fraud Landscape,” found that more than half of the companies surveyed uncovered more fraud since the onset of the pandemic. Furthermore, 71% of companies expect the level of fraud impacting their organizations to increase over the next year.

Paul Melville, national managing principal of Corporate Finance at Grant Thornton, believes Gilkes will be a formidable asset for all companies touched by fraud. “Since fraud and forensic investigations now cross more borders than ever before, John’s global perspective will be instrumental in helping clients take rapid, protective action,” he said.

Throughout his decades-long career, Gilkes has led corporate and regulatory investigations and international asset tracing and recovery engagements. He has also managed and conducted a wide array of complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations involving wire transfer fraud, bribery and extortion.

“I’m thrilled to join Grant Thornton and serve alongside talented professionals in the Washington, D.C. area,” said Gilkes. “Most importantly, I’m looking forward to continuing to deliver the quality service and forensic insights our clients demand and deserve.”  

Gilkes began his career with Deloitte in London, where he audited clients in the securities and investment banking fields and led global forensic investigations. He later transferred to Deloitte LLP in the United States, where he spent nearly 14 years as a principal focusing on anti-corruption consulting and fraud detection, prevention and deterrence. He also served as a senior managing director in the Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment of FTI Consulting Inc.

In 2009, Gilkes joined the expert advisory group of the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) initiative to consult on matters relating to asset tracing and recovery — and has contributed to StAR’s highly regarded handbook, titled “Asset Recovery Handbook: A Guide for Practitioners.” StAR was launched in September 2007 by the World Bank and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as a collaborative arrangement to promote the ratification, domestication and implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption — which in turn provided the legal framework for international collaboration in asset recovery of proceeds as a result of fraud and corruption.

Gilkes is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He has given testimony in U.S. federal court on matters relating to complex financial transactions and has presented to the United Nations on asset tracing. Gilkes received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of London’s Imperial College.