From Whistleblower to Founder: Pav Gill’s Journey after Wirecard

In this episode, host Filip Brokes is joined by Pav Gill, former Head of Legal for the Asia Pacific region at Wirecard and current Founder & CEO of Confide Platform. Pav shares his extraordinary journey from a career at prominent international law firms to becoming a whistleblower who helped expose one of Europe’s biggest corporate scandals.

Pav discusses his entry into Wirecard, explaining the context in which he was headhunted for the role, unaware of the fraudulent activities occurring at the highest levels of the company. He provides insights into the internal workings of Wirecard’s Singapore office, his initial positive experiences, and the unexpected discoveries that led to his whistleblowing.

Listeners will hear the rationale behind Pav’s decision to remain anonymous during the initial stages of whistleblowing, his collaboration with investigative journalists at the Financial Times, and the strategic considerations behind the disclosure of his identity in the media and the acclaimed Sky documentary.

Pav reflects on his post-Wirecard career trajectory, highlighting the challenges he faced in returning to the workforce and how his whistleblower status later became a unique asset. He provides thoughtful analysis on the role of short-sellers in uncovering corporate misconduct, offering balanced perspectives on the ethical dimensions of their activities.

The conversation shifts to Pav’s entrepreneurial journey with the launch of Confide Platform—a compliance-tech startup focused on whistleblowing and compliance reporting. Pav explains his motivation for creating a secure, trusted solution designed to empower organizations to identify and manage internal issues proactively, thereby preventing scandals similar to Wirecard.

The episode also delves into broader regulatory discussions, with Pav offering a comparative analysis of global whistleblowing frameworks. He evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the EU Whistleblower Directive and explores regulatory trends in Asia, Europe, and the US, including recent political influences on regulatory enforcement.

To conclude, Pav stresses the importance of compliance professionals staying apolitical and diligently focused on applying existing regulatory standards, irrespective of broader political dynamics.

Recommended Resources by Pav Gill:

• Sky Documentary: Wirecard: A Billion Euro Lie
• Book by Dan McCrum (FT Reporter): Money Men
• Financial Times Article: The long-form FT exposé detailing Pav’s whistleblower journey (September 2021).

About Pav Gill:
Pav Gill is a lawyer and compliance expert based in Singapore. Following his critical whistleblower role in exposing Wirecard, he founded Confide Platform, an end-to-end whistleblowing and compliance management tool designed to strengthen corporate integrity globally.

Integrity Insights is produced by Berlin Risk Advisors GmbH

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