Robert Dedman

Robert Dedman, former Head of Enforcement at the Bank of England, is a partner at the London office of the international law firm CMS.  Prior to joining CMS, he has held roles as a Partner at a leading US law firm, and as a Senior Director in the Global Investigations and Compliance team at a leading global consulting firm specialising in anti-money laundering, economic sanctions and anti-bribery and corruption issues.

Rob has nearly a decade of experience as a senior regulator. From 2013 to 2017, he was the first Head of the Enforcement and Litigation Division at the Bank of England (the UK’s central bank and one of the UK’s two financial services regulators). In that role, he set up the Bank’s investigations function, running the Bank’s first division dedicated to carrying out regulatory investigations into misconduct in the UK banking and insurance sectors. He led the Bank’s intelligence and whistleblowing function, responding to whistleblowing arising in the financial services sector. He also was also responsible for the Bank’s enforcement relationships with UK regulators, prosecutors and central government (including the Financial Conduct Authority, the Financial Reporting Council, HM Treasury, and the Serious Fraud Office), and with overseas regulators and prosecutors including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Federal Reserve, the New York Fed, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Prior to joining the Bank, Rob led the legal team at the UK’s financial services regulator responsible for the changes to legislation that created the UK’s current financial regulatory architecture, working closely with stakeholders in government, industry and internationally on the legal structures, powers of the regulators and the operational implications of the new regime. 

Rob represents clients in regulatory, financial crime, economic sanctions and white-collar investigations by regulators and prosecution authorities, as well as carrying out internal and whistleblowing investigations. He also advises clients on compliance matters, including helping them determine the extent to which their policies and procedures, systems and controls comply with regulatory expectations and industry best practice. He is regularly asked to advise clients as to how regulators are likely to respond to issues arising in their businesses, and to assist clients dealing with regulatory interventions.  

Rob is a CEDR accredited mediator, and has completed a follow on qualification from CEDR in conflict mediation and peacemaking practice. He also sits a Recorder (a part-time judicial office holder) in the Crown Court in England and Wales, dealing with criminal trials.