Ariana Issa

Ariana Issa is Head of Risk Advisory’s Europe, Middle East, and North Africa practice. She has extensive experience in managing complex due diligence investigations and strategic intelligence projects across Europe. 

Ariana has particular expertise in the investment banking and private equity sectors. Over the last seven years she has specialised in supporting clients in these areas with their strategic intelligence and deal-driven due diligence requirements. She has also spent time managing source of wealth assignments for private banking clients in a range of jurisdictions across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 

Ariana joined Risk Advisory in 2018 following seven years at another London-based intelligence consultancy. She holds an MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy and a first-class degree in Oriental Studies, both from the University of Oxford.

Project highlights:

• Oversaw detailed investigation into the Serbian technology sector, involving extensive analysis of the wider sector and legal framework governing it, as well as the key challenges at play, combined with an analysis of external risk factors including Serbia’s EU accession. 
• Conducted an in-depth investigation into a Scandinavian telecoms executive, including a deep dive into their integrity profile and investigation into claims they had been the subject of serious workplace complaints. 
• Coordinated a targeted investigation into the use of commercial agents by foreign defence companies operating in Egypt. This included a sensitive set of source enquiries on the ground in Egypt in order to unpack how laws on the subject were – or weren’t – being followed.