The presence of so many economically vital industries on the US West Coast — from Silicon Valley’s tech center and healthcare to agriculture and green tech — accounts for why the region earned the ‘gatekeeper of global trade’ moniker. Alongside burgeoning opportunities in this regional economic powerhouse, of course, come daunting hazards for the financial sector, institutional investors, and corporate enterprises.
Ongoing supply chain dislocations arising from the pandemic, the knotty regulatory and ESG landscape, and a steady drumbeat of audit and accounting scandals are magnifying demands for pressure-tested due diligence and other transactional business intelligence services. All these factors explain why we are so proud to announce the arrival of the newest member of our executive team to lead our West Coast business development operation.
Welcoming Andy Van Vleck
Please join with us in enthusiastically welcoming Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Andy Van Vleck as IntegrityRisk’s Vice President for West Coast Region Business Development. Andy’s broad experience in the public and private sector puts him in a matchless position to understand, address, and tailor solutions for our growing West Coast client base.
Andy recently returned to the US following five years of service posted to Berlin and Istanbul with the US State Department. He brought to the diplomatic mission nearly 20 years of private sector experience focused on cross-border business and investment from the US, Europe, and the Middle East into Asia. As an analyst for leading European and American financial institutions, Andy advised the world’s largest institutional investors, guiding debt and equity financing to companies in myriad industries throughout Asia-Pacific.
He helped launch, manage, and raise funds globally for a multi-billion-dollar investment manager, backed with seed capital from the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest US pension fund with over $300 billion in assets. Andy founded his own company, incorporated in Sri Lanka, that employed staff in Colombo, Manila and Mexico City and provided business process outsourcing services to architects in developed markets. Over his career he has lived in Berlin, Istanbul, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Bangkok.
IntegrityRisk’s Global Head of Sales, Dorian Baker, says, “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome someone with Andy’s far-reaching global experience in the financial services risk management space as we expand our reach and connectivity on the West Coast. He will be a key driver of opportunities in the private equity and venture capital arenas as well as a linchpin connecting our East Coast US operations to our growing presence in the APAC region.”
The Rising Risk of Cutting Due Diligence Corners
The Economist noted early this summer that accelerated deal making spurred on by COVID-era video conferencing allowed founders and investors in Silicon Valley to take on many more potential partners. Investment contracts, the article noted, are often issued in days, “skipping lengthy due diligence, often at valuations well above those suggested by conventional VCs.”
Whether you’re looking to vet an internal senior hire or nomination to the board of a portfolio company, scrub supply chains and ESG claims, deepen pre-IPO and M&A due diligence, or need more bespoke investigations, we have the experienced bench and customized tools to help. Bringing Andy onto the team is part of our commitment to equip financial institutions, corporate clients, and other West Coast enterprises with timely research and intelligent context to address warning signs — before they create costly and reputation damaging burdens.
Reach out to us to learn more about how our global team can help to insulate your West Coast opportunities from avoidable risk.