Meet the Team

Marcel Bessent founded St. Giles Analytics in 2018. He has more than two decades’ experience in the financial services sector, having started his career as an investment banker in the mid-1990s. Marcel has particular expertise in trading and financial markets (across all major asset classes and jurisdictions), complex financial data analysis and asset valuation work, forensic accounting, regulatory enforcement responses, multi-jurisdictional investigations, anti-bribery and corruption work, and supporting compliance testing and reviews.

Marcel graduated Cambridge University in 1996 with a PhD in Chemical Physics, having worked as part of Sir David A. King’s research group. In the same year, he began his career in banking with the London branch of JP Morgan, eventually becoming European Head of the Exotic and Hybrid Equity Derivatives Trading division. He left in 2006 to become a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Equity Volatility Arbitrage Group at Citadel, a large global Hedge Fund based in Chicago. Upon leaving Citadel in 2009 he spent time as a Managing Director at two other international Investment Banks - UBS in Hong Kong and Barclays Capital in London.

Prior to founding St Giles Analytics, Marcel spent two years as a Partner at leading forensic accounting firm Forensic Risk Alliance (FRA), managing investigations and supporting clients in regulatory enforcements and monitorships. While at FRA, Marcel was a senior team member supporting Airbus in a multi-national investigation which resulted in a €3.6bn settlement with four investigative authorities: in the UK, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the French Parquet National Financier (PNF) and in the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of State (DOS).

Marcel’s most recent work for St Giles Analytics was a regulatory enforcement matter through the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. He was engaged by the FCA to act as an independent expert in a market manipulation case. Marcel was tasked by the regulator to produce several reports to assist the FCA’s Regulatory Decisions Committee (RDC) in making its decision.