History – Association of Corporate Investigators

ACi was born to address the needs of corporate investigators

Back in 2010 the heads of investigation for a number of Fortune 500 corporates assembled for an informal gathering in London to discuss areas of shared interest in corporate investigations.

What was unique about this group was the diverse range of industry sectors that were represented. They included oil and gas, financial, manufacturing, telecommunications, commodities, pharmaceuticals, logistics and agriculture. The group devised a constitution and became known as the Corporate Investigation Council (CIC). Membership was by invitation only and at its peak, twelve corporates were represented. Fast forward to 2016 and some members of the CIC identified there were further opportunities to engage beyond ‘Heads of Investigations’ to include all those involved in investigations at whatever level, and beyond the private sector.

In 2017 the CIC was disbanded and in January 2018 the ACi was formed with the creation of an executive committee to drive the association’s development. We identified a gap in the current universe of associations, catering for the needs of corporate professionals. In particular, accredited qualifications and training, networking opportunities and the availability of a central resource for members of the corporate investigations community were deemed to be lacking. It was also felt that investigators, at whatever level of seniority and from whichever background, be it legal, audit or finance, could benefit from a wider coalition of activity. Research conducted by investigation heads among their teams identified an appetite, especially from graduates or junior members, for an association that promoted the professional standing of their role and an independent voice alongside their colleagues in other professional areas.

At the heart of the ACi is the principle that associations are formed by like-minded professionals to serve the needs of their members. In our case this is the community of corporate investigators in its widest sense. The association seeks to be diverse and inclusive and in terms of history believes forming the ACi was long overdue.