VERIFIED by Thirdfort: The Compliance Leaders Summit
About VERIFIED: Championing the people behind the process
We're bringing the compliance community together for VERIFIED, a unique, free half-day summit in the heart of London. The first of its kind by Thirdfort, VERIFIED is your opportunity to step away from the manual checks and gain the insights you need to lead your firm with confidence
Compliance teams are the backbone of a secure society. We’ve designed this afternoon to help you move from "admin" to "impact," giving you the tech and the narrative to get your team the respect they deserve.
The summit will include:
Know your enemy: A thrilling keynote from former convicted ex-fraudster, Alex Wood, who will give you a rare and unfiltered look into the criminal mind.
The future of CDD: An exclusive first look at the new Thirdfort platform we've been secretly building, with intelligence at its core to help you win back time.
Compliance Champions: A candid panel from expert compliance leaders on how to elevate your team from a "cost centre" to a strategic business driver.
Real connections: A chance to catch up with fellow leaders over drinks and canapés in an iconic West End setting.
Register your interest for VERIFIED
Please note: We now have only a handful of places remaining, and are prioritising these for senior compliance leaders to ensure the best peer-to-peer networking experience.
What to expect?
Key info: 23rd April | 60 Great Queen St | 1:30 PM
Speakers
Olly Thornton-Berry
Co-founder + CEO, Thirdfort
A software investor turned founder, Olly co-founded Thirdfort after a friend was defrauded of £25,000 during a property purchase. As CEO, he has grown the business into a market-leading client due diligence (CDD) platform, raising £25m in equity to protect over 1,500 firms and their clients from financial crime. Thirdfort’s mission is to empower professionals in the legal and property sectors to transact securely amidst ever-rising regulation and fraud.
Jack Bidgood
Co-founder + CPO, Thirdfort
Jack co-founded Thirdfort in 2018 following a career at Barclays. As CPO, he aligns business strategy with a product vision that pushes the boundaries of how technology can reduce risk and positively impact regulated businesses. Thirdfort’s platform makes client due diligence simple and secure by integrating ID and AML tools into a single solution, that speeds up due diligence by 80%.
Lucy Shilling
COO, Thirdfort
Lucy joined Thirdfort in 2020 to build the company’s People function from the ground up during a period of rapid growth. Now as COO, she leads broader operations and enablement, focusing on the internal structures that allow the business to scale effectively. With a background in high-growth tech and executive search, Lucy leverages a pragmatic, high-standards approach to build the leadership teams and high-performance cultures necessary for Thirdfort’s ongoing expansion.
Harriet Holmes
Senior AML enablement & Product assurance manager, Thirdfort
Drawing on a decade of compliance consultancy and experience in both local and global law firms, Harriet spearheads Thirdfort’s in-house AML and anti-fraud efforts. She plays a critical role in ensuring the platform’s digital solution is secure, compliant, and trusted by over 1,500 regulated businesses. Her focus is on bridging the gap between complex regulation and product assurance, empowering firms to operate with total confidence.
Alex Wood
Ex-fraudster + Motivational Speaker
A former high-profile fraudster turned resident expert for the BBC's 'Scam Secrets'. Alex uses his first-hand experience of committing multi-million pound cyber-crime to provide a rare, insider's view on the criminal mindset and how to defeat it.
Eloise Butterworth
Head of Risk & Compliance, HiveRisk
With an 18-year career in the legal sector, Eloise moved from in-house roles at regional law firms into consultancy in 2025. As Head of Risk & Compliance at HiveRisk, she brings a practical, human approach to complex regulatory challenges, cutting through the "fluff" to challenge traditional compliance methods. Eloise specialises in helping firms of all sizes streamline processes, optimise resources, and measure the true effectiveness of their AML controls.
Balkar Bains
General Counsel, Ashtons
Balkar serves as General Counsel at Ashtons, overseeing risk management, compliance, and strategic support for the firm’s operations and innovation. With 26 years in private practice—including a decade as Managing Director and roles as COLP and MLRO—he has deep experience in acquisitions, ABS status, and Lexcel accreditation. Prior to Ashtons, Balkar led Partner Services at Teal Compliance, providing expert risk and consultancy services to a broad range of law firms.
Mike Ross
Financial Crime Director + MLRO, Anderson Strathern
As Financial Crime Director and MLRO at Anderson Strathern, Mike brings nearly two decades of regulatory risk experience across financial and professional services. He has a proven track record of helping banks and law firms navigate regulatory interventions and remedial programmes. Mike’s focus is on integrating risk practices that meet compliance obligations while promoting business growth and operational effectiveness, demystifying the complex regulatory landscape to reduce the costs driven by risk-aversion.