Sarah Wheeler

Head - Anti-Money Laundering Division

Mrs. Sarah Wheeler joined the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority on 5 February 2020 as Head of its Anti-Money Laundering Division.

Mrs. Wheeler holds a Master’s degree in history from the University of Edinburgh and is a qualified lawyer with 18 years of experience. She began her career at Allen & Overy LLP and then moved to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP. During this time, she maintained a diverse portfolio of cases and clients.

In 2013, she joined the litigation team at Barclays Group to assist with regulatory investigations and financial crime and later transitioned to the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) to manage its foreign exchange remediation enforcement programme.

In 2017, Mrs. Wheeler was asked to lead the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision, a new anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism regulator housed in the FCA. With her team, she devised a risk-based approach to supervision, conducted a programme of onsite visits, issued findings and made use of supervisory powers. She also wrote and published a sector report, conducted supervisory workshops and presented at industry outreach events. Mrs. Wheeler gave evidence to the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) as part of the mutual evaluation of the UK and was central to the follow up actions for the FCA. She also co-chaired the drafting group for FATF’s 2019 risk-based approach guidance for legal professionals, accountancy professionals and trust and corporate service providers.