Rebecca Hughes

Director

  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Political and Country Risk
  • Investor Services
  • Ethics, Compliance and Governance

Rebecca is a director in Control Risks’ EMEA Business Intelligence practice covering the Middle East and North Africa. She leads complex strategic intelligence, market entry/exit support and investigative assessments across the region. Rebecca is focused on advisory work in operationally complex and informationally opaque jurisdictions, gathering intelligence to inform our clients’ understanding of commercial, political and threat dynamics.  

Recent tasks that Rebecca has worked on include:

  • Long-running risk management support for an international client involved in a dispute with a regional state-owned entity, resulting in a positive outcome for our client. 
  • Multiple market entry due diligence, control dynamic and network mapping assessments, to support our clients’ consideration of investment opportunities and politically exposed partners.
  • Multiple business intelligence assessments in Libya, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan, responding to specific concerns, threats and corruption issues impacting employee safety and business operations. 
  • Sanctions evasion investigations spanning the MENA region, Asia, Europe and South America, including in relation to illicit oil trading and product diversion linked to Iran, Iraq and Russia.  
  • Conflict-of-interest investigations across the MENA region, to support our clients’ internal investigations into third parties and employees.  

  • Rebecca joined Control Risks in 2017, initially working in the company’s MENA hub in Dubai and relocating to London in 2020. From Control Risks’ UK headquarters, Rebecca reports to regional management based in the UAE. She acts as the team’s representative within Europe, including for UK- and Europe-based clients with interests in the MENA region.  

    Prior to joining Control Risks, Rebecca worked for an international charitable arts organisation. She has worked and travelled extensively in complex environments, including in Iran, Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. Rebecca has a master’s degree in Persian and English Literature from the University of Edinburgh, with a focus on Persian language and Iranian politics and literature. 

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