About Us
About Obsidian Risk Advisors
Obsidian Risk Advisors is a boutique institutional consultancy providing elite financial crime, regulatory, and governance advisory to financial institutions, professional services, and select legal teams. Obsidian Risk Advisors is led by our Managing Principal, Brett Erickson. Brett serves on the Board of DePaul University College of Business, Seton Hall's School of Diplomacy and International Relations, as well Loyola University School of Law - Center for Compliance Studies. His work has been featured in Newsweek, The Diplomat, The Hill, Nikkei Asia, American Banker, Reuters, Yahoo News, Apple News+, Google News, Politico, RealClearWorld, RealClearDefense, Compliance Week, AOL, MSN, ACFE Fraud Magazine, The Banker, and ACAMS Today, amongst others. Obsidian is built on deep experience across global finance, Obsidian operates discreetly at the intersection of enforcement risk, reputational exposure, and institutional oversight.
Our Background
Obsidian Risk Advisors was established to meet the growing demand for discreet, high-level advisory in financial crime, reputational risk, and institutional compliance. Our leadership has supported global banks, investment firms, universities, and cultural organizations navigating high-stakes regulatory and reputational environments. Our Managing Principal, Brett Erickson, is appointed to the Board of DePaul University Driehaus College of Business, Seton Hall's School of Diplomacy and International Relations, and Loyola University Chicago School of Law - Center for Compliance Studies.
With backgrounds spanning traditional finance, investment, regulatory consulting, and academic and cultural governance, our team brings together credentialed expertise across anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption (ABAC), offshore structures, and reputational defense. Our advisors hold a multitude of advanced certifications and expertise including CAMS, CAMS-RM, CGSS, CFE, WMCP, GRCP, GRCA, IRMP, multiple STEP certifications, as well as multiple ICA-Specialist certifications. In addition, our advising team also holds the FINRA Series 3, Series 7, and Series 66. Executive Education has been completed through Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, and NYIF.
Obsidian is built on the principle that effective risk strategy requires more than technical compliance, it demands institutional fluency, discretion, and alignment with long-term governance objectives.
Learn more about our Managing Principal, Brett Erickson
Credentials
Certifications
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Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
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Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist - Risk Management (CAMS-RM)
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Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS)
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Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
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Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP)
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Governance, Risk, and Compliance Professional (GRCP)
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Governance, Risk, and Compliance Auditor (GRCA)
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Integrated Risk Management Professional (IRMP)
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ICA-Specialist Certificate in AML and Art Laundering
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ICA-Specialist Certificate in Anti-Bribery and Corruption
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ICA-Specialist Certificate in Combatting the Financing of Terrorism
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ICA-Specialist Certificate in Financial Crime Risk in Global Banking and Markets
Education
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Grand Canyon University - Bachelors in Finance and Economics
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The Wharton School - Executive Leadership and Management
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The Wharton School - Artificial Intelligence for Business
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Harvard Business School - Alternative Investments Program
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Harvard Business School - GenAI Artificial Intelligence Program
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Stanford University - Plundered Art: The History and Ethics of Art Collection
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Stanford University - China and Russia: The Politics of Revisionism and Global Power
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Stanford University - Geopolitics of the 21st Century Middle East
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New York Institute of Finance - Investment Banking Program
Publications
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Bloomberg - Trump's Russia Oil Sanctions Face Early Test in China Meeting (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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Newsweek - The Sanctions Era Is Quietly Ending. The West Isn't Ready.
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Newsweek - What Ted Cruz's Iran Moment Reveals About America's Foreign Policy Illiteracy
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Newsweek - The New Pragmatism Reshaping Syria, and the Risks Ahead
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Newsweek - Trump Just Lost His Tariff Leverage. Secondary Sanctions Are His Last Chance
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Newsweek - Republican Demands $100,000,000 Bounty for Nicolás Maduro (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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Newsweek - Donald Trump's 50-Day Deadline to Russia Expires (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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Newsweek - Satellite Photos Capture US Navy Fleet Approaching Venezuela (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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Newsweek - Trump's Move Against Maduro in Venezuela Might Not Go to Plan (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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Newsweek - NATO Scrambles Fighter Jets Again After Major Russian Attacks (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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Newsweek - How Much Ukrainian Land Russia Would Lose As Trump Shifts Stance (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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NBC News - Multiple Russian Incursions Expose Contrast Between U.S. and Allies' Responses (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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The Banker - On Brand: The 50 Fastest Growing Global Banks (Quoted as a Financial Crime Expert on the Cover of October's Issue of The Banker)
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The Banker - £250mn and Counting: Fines Against Banks Rack Up for Financial Crime Failings (Quoted as a Financial Crime Expert)
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Reuters - Trump Announces Peace Agreement Between Azerbaijan and Armenia (Quoted as a Sanctions Expert)
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The Hill - Trump's New Front In The War On Cartels: The Banks
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The Hill - Banks Are Carrying the Risk of America's Foreign Policy
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The Hill - Trump's Tariffs are Forcing Canada to Address its Money Laundering Problem
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The Hill - Australia is Closing the Money Laundering Loopholes the US Keeps Open
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American Banker - Eliminating Reputational Risk Oversight Was A Regulatory Mistake
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American Banker - Sanctions on Russia Were Just a Warm-Up For a Future Crisis with China
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Nikkei Asia - A Rare US Diplomatic Win, and the Lessons it Offers
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Nikkei Asia - Model Behavior: Southeast Asian Cyberscam Crackdown Must Be a Template
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The Diplomat - Southeast Asia's Fraud Networks and the Countries Paying the Price
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The Diplomat - China, Kyrgyzstan, and the Quiet Construction of a Sanctions-Resistant Trade Corridor (Selected as Front Page Featured Article)
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The Diplomat - The West Can't Survive The Sanctions It Needs To Deter China (Selected as Front Page Featured Article)
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The Diplomat - Building the Sanctions Infrastructure the West Needs to Face China, Now.
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The Diplomat - How Russia Used Kyrgyzstan To Reopen Its Financial Escape Routes
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Seeking Alpha - Deutsche Bank Has Fixed Its Numbers, But Not Its Reputation
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Seeking Alpha - Wells Fargo Is A Compliance-Constrained Compounder Now Set Free
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Seeking Alpha - Glencore Is A Mispriced Commodities Giant With Multi-Resource Tailwinds
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Compliance Week - Why Audit Won't Save Your Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Program
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Compliance Week - Risk-Based AML Only Works If The C-Suite Agree What 'Risk' Means (Front Page Feature)
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Pending - Why Does Sanctions Compliance Treat All Risk The Same?
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ACAMS Today - Building Resilient Anti-Bribery and Corruption Frameworks
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ACFE Fraud Magazine - High-Net-Worth Clients Can Be High-Risk Clients
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RealClearWorld - Russia Will Strike Back Because The West Has Nothing Left
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RealClearWorld - China Is Watching As Russia's Strategic Deterrence Burns
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RealClearDefense - Why Russia's Nuclear Program Still Runs On Western Equipment
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Lawyers Weekly - Lawyers Understand The Law. Criminals Understand The Mechanics.
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Accounting Times - Avoid ‘repackaged’ AML/CTF advice from banking sector, consultant warns (Featured Profile with Insights on Tranche 2 Rollout in Accounting Sector)
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The Observer - Hidden Liabilities: How Rare Manuscripts Threaten Institutional Reputations
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