BIO
for STACIAN BENNETT, SENIOR DIRECTOR, INVESTIGATION & ENFORCEMENT, FSC
Ms. Stacian Bennett is an Attorney-at-Law and AML/CFT practitioner, with over twenty’ (20) years’ experience, practicing in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Bennett has an LLB with Honours and a Certificate in Legal Education from the University of the West Indies. She is also a trained CFATF Assessor and has a Diploma in Managing Investment Disputes. Most recently, Ms. Bennett also served as a member of the Appeals Tribunal for the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA).
Ms. Bennett’s portfolio responsibilities include the development, implementation, and management of the FSC’s investigation, complaints-handling, enhanced fit & proper, and enforcement programme. Additionally, she has general oversight of the FSC’s AML/CFT mandate. Prior to her current role, Ms. Bennett also served as Senior Legal Officer and Corporate Board Secretary at the FSC.
Throughout her career, Ms. Bennett also served as Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Justice. There, she had overall responsibility for the Ministry’s legislative agenda and the provision of contract and general legal advice. Her main duties included drafting of Cabinet Submissions and Policies, review of Draft Bills of Parliament, drafting and negotiation of contracts, advising on Industrial relations matters, review of procurement documents, preparation of Ministerial Statements and Briefs for Parliament, and advising the Ministry on varied compliance and general legal advice matters.
Prior to joining the team at the Ministry of Justice, Ms. Bennett served as Legal Counsel at Jamalco/Alcoa Minerals of Jamaica, where she had oversight for corporate governance and compliance issues, drafted and negotiated commercial contracts and provided general legal advice to the entity on varied matters such as land conveyance disputes, industrial relations and personal injury claims. While there, she also had oversight for the company’s ethics and compliance programme and monitoring and management of ‘whistleblower’ complaints.
Ms. Bennett’s career has also spanned a stint at the Coffee Industry Board and the Attorney General’s Chambers. At the former, Ms. Bennett functioned as Corporate Board Secretary and Legal Officer and was an integral member of the Working Group on Geographical Indications. She also had oversight for the Board’s licensing regime and trademark protection programme. While at the Attorney General’s Chambers as Crown Counsel, Ms. Bennett was a member of Jamaica’s Anti- Trafficking in Persons Task Force and Chairperson of its Protection Sub-Committee. She also represented Jamaica at the Twelfth Meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-Up Mechanism for the implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption.
In her current role at the FSC, Ms. Bennett served as the FSC’s lead advocate in addressing identified AML/CFT deficiencies, which removed Jamaica from the FATF enhanced monitoring process. In this respect, she continues to serve as one of Jamaica’s lead representatives on the National Anti-Money Laundering Committee.
