Jonathan Gilbert

Jeroen: Thanks for taking the time, Jonathan Gilbert, for this brief pre-event interview.

Jonathan: Thank you for the invitation. I’m very much looking forward to the event.

Jeroen: So are we! We’d like to get to know you a bit better. Could you tell me a little about your background?

Jonathan: I initially worked as a solicitor in the UK, specializing in residential and commercial property law, and was reasonably successful for several years. However, that career came to an abrupt end, which I look forward to discussing further with your audience at the conference. After my legal career, I took a sabbatical for a few years, which I will explain in more detail, but eventually, I re-engaged with education. I completed a Master’s in Counter Fraud and Counter Corruption at Portsmouth University.
Following that, I approached Michael Levi, a global expert in white-collar crime, particularly money laundering, at Cardiff University, where he is a Professor of Criminology. I asked if I could join him to pursue a PhD, and he agreed. He appreciated my background and how I had bounced back. He’s considered a global authority on white-collar crime, and I see myself as a sort of walking case study. We were a perfect fit. I started my PhD at Cardiff University in 2019 and completed it in the summer of 2023. I am now a published academic, working on a monograph based on my research. I also lecture in law at UWE in Bristol and am actively involved in events, disseminating research, and sharing my insights into financial crime, offender motivation, and the environments that enable the commission and perpetuation of certain types of crime. This is my area of interest and, hopefully, expertise.

Jeroen: Before the period you’ll be discussing at the event, what made you decide to pursue a career in law?

Jonathan: I kind of stumbled into it. I remember feeling a bit frustrated at the dinner table when my father was gently pressuring me about my career aspirations. I blurted out, “I’m going to study law, Dad.” My father had a background in education—he studied geography—and my mother was a lecturer in nursing skills at a college in South Wales. I suppose I said it just to stop the badgering, and then he really held me to it.
I went to see the careers advisor at school and said I wanted to study law, and from that point on, there was no turning back. I became fascinated by the subject. It’s an incredible discipline that opens many doors. You don’t have to become a lawyer—law can lead to careers in criminal justice, banking, or the financial services industry. It really equips you for a wide range of careers and pathways.

Jeroen: Could you share with us what your first job was?

Jonathan: I completed a three-year law degree, followed by a professional qualification—formerly the Law Society Finals, now called the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam. After that, as was the case for me, you work in a law firm for two years. I worked near Heathrow Airport, in Greater London, at a small niche commercial practice. This period, formerly known as ‘Articles,’ is now referred to as a training contract. During this time, you rotate through different departments. I worked in property and company commercial law under the mentorship of the partner in charge.

Jeroen: The topics you’ve been academically working on for the past few years—were these topics of interest to you before the events you experienced?

Jonathan: No, my main area of research and expertise emerged directly from what happened to me. It involved a lot of self-reflection during a particularly challenging chapter of my life, where I looked back and tried to understand ethical slippage and why I took a different path. I was deeply introspective: Why was I in this position? Why did I make these choices? I felt a lot of remorse for the path I took and the impact my actions had on others and the firm’s reputation.
While working on my Master’s, I began considering the role of the individual actor in financial crime. When I progressed to my PhD with Professor Levy’s support, I expanded that perspective by placing the actor within a broader environment. It shifted from self-reflection to analyzing hard data on how offenders in white-collar and financial crimes operate. This analysis went beyond personal motivation or character flaws, such as the ‘rotten apple’ theory, which suggests that one bad individual contaminates an entire organization. Instead, I found that the ‘barrel’ itself—the organizational culture—can be defective. There may be systemic issues, such as a criminogenic culture, where pressures from the top to hit targets or sell products contribute to a broader environment that facilitates crime. So, it’s not just about individual culpability but about how these factors work together.
That’s where my current interest lies. I’m fascinated by the actors and biographies of offenders in financial crime, but I’m also interested in regulatory frameworks—particularly whether there’s an effective criminal justice system. In the UK, for example, there hasn’t been a robust system for a while; they don’t put many fraudsters in jail. That’s my area of interest now.

Jeroen: Is there a particular theory from other academics that you have extensively worked with during your PhD or in your research on financial and economic crime?

Jonathan: Yes, multiple theories. When I first re-engaged with education at Portsmouth, we covered a broad range of criminological theories related to white-collar crime. We explored everything from Sutherland’s differential association theory from 1939, which examines how peer groups can influence individuals, to various control theories such as the rotten apple theory.
I am particularly interested in routine activity theory, which served as an underlying framework for my doctoral research. This theory involves a motivated offender, a suitable target (the victim), and incapable guardianship. Incapable guardianship can refer to inadequate management and oversight within an organization, a lack of policing, insufficient criminal justice resources, or reactive rather than proactive regulation. It could also include the absence of strong familial support. Routine activity theory has been extensively used in recent research. For example, Nick Lord, a professor from Manchester University who was with you last year, has incorporated aspects of this theory into his own research. I look forward to sharing more insights on this topic with you.

Jeroen: How has obtaining your PhD impacted you personally and professionally? Has it changed you in terms of personal growth as well as your career?

Jonathan: It has given me a significant second chance. Studying whilst  away and then continuing when I returned home was a huge challenge. Doing a PhD is unlike any other degree because it is done in relative isolation. You have some supervision, but it’s minimal—you’re lucky if you have a monthly meeting with your supervisor. It was a very lonely journey, and since my research was based on my direct lived experience of crime, I often had to look within myself and find the courage to keep going, especially during interviews. I spoke with nearly 50 people across the subject area, including law enforcement, regulators, and offenders.
I found it incredibly challenging, but once I finished, I felt immense pride in myself and my family, who were very proud of how I turned my life around from despair to completing my PhD and receiving top academic honors. Making poor decisions often leads to a loss of self-respect and self-esteem. If you face the consequences, re-engage with education  and remain honest and transparent with everyone you work with, you can regain that self-respect and self-esteem. For me, it was a huge achievement, and it has opened up new opportunities. I now have a lecturing position in the law department at UWE in Bristol and am publishing my work. I feel incredibly privileged to have this future pathway.

Jeroen: It’s amazing how you frame those feelings alongside rational thinking. Given that your audience will largely consist of bankers, with some public sector representatives as well, do you already work extensively with people in financial services?

Jonathan: I interviewed many professionals through my research. I frequently participate in counter-fraud and financial crime conferences, forums, masterclasses, and webinars. This means I regularly interact with AML professionals in the UK financial services sector, and I have also worked in Belgium and presented for WODC in the Hague last year. I am hoping to widely disseminate my research and my insight into financial crime, including the role of professional enablers.
Additionally, I have collaborated with the Cabinet Office and the Home Office in the UK on strategies related to AML and the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority on identifying rogue lawyers. I would welcome the opportunity to meet more professionals and am looking forward to connecting with the delegates at the conference. I am eager to share my insights and lived experience in this field.

Jeroen: Thank you very much, Jonathan Gilbert, for taking the time for this brief pre-event interview in the lead-up to the Leaders in Finance AML Netherlands conference on October 3rd this year.

Jonathan: Looking forward to it.