Our leadership team

Meet our peoplecheveron-right

Drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and experience, we are driven by a clear and common purpose to deliver reliable and accurate information on Africa and the wider Middle East to form the basis for solid intelligence and sound decision making.

Nouri Bakkali

Nouri Bakkali

Chief Executive Officer

Nouri founded Diligencia in 2008, with the singular ambition to help bring clarity to doing business in the Middle East & Africa as a means of promoting growth and prosperity in its economies. Born in Morocco and now based in Oxford, Nouri has 35 years of experience in the field of business intelligence and investigations, starting as an analyst with a well-known international media and publishing business.

James Redfern

James Redfern

Sales Director

James joined us in 2020 to support our sales activities and business development from our Oxford office. He has extensive experience providing data and legal entity research solutions to KYC, AML and regulatory compliance professionals in financial services. Prior to joining Diligencia, James was working for Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters) with a specific focus on marketing, business development and revenue growth.

Richard Goodworth

Richard Goodworth

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Richard joined Diligencia in 2015 as Finance Director, responsible for the financial, legal and corporate governance affairs of the company, and now serves on the board as a non-executive director. Prior to joining Diligencia, Richard spent seven years at Control Risks and worked for Molton Brown from 2003 to 2007, seeing the company through a sale to Kao Corporation in 2005. Richard qualified with the ACCA whilst in practice in 1999.

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Saif Mohammad

CHIEF PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Saif joined Diligencia in 2021, bringing a wealth of expertise to enhance our product and technology endeavours. He has a proven track record in technology, and he played a pivotal role in steering our organisation toward cutting-edge innovation and digital transformation. He has been instrumental in shaping a culture of collaboration and excellence within our tech team, driving forward our commitment to delivering high-impact solutions.

Jonathan Siklos

Jonathan Siklos

Regional Director

Jonathan leads the growth of Diligencia’s presence in the Gulf region from our Dubai office, building and managing client relationships, and advising organisations on navigating the regional risk and compliance environment. Jonathan has lived in the UAE for over 15 years and joined Diligencia in 2021 from Omni Bridgeway where he was a member of the Case Intelligence Team. Prior to that, Jonathan was head of the Middle East Business Intelligence Practice for Control Risks.

Kahina Gasmi

Kahina Gasmi

Business Continuity Manager

In 2006, Kahina helped set up Diligencia’s office in Tangier before working in her home country, Algeria, for Kellogg Brown & Root and China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corp. She returned to Diligencia in 2015 to oversee our team of business analysts in Tangier before moving to Oxford in 2021 to manage Diligencia’s business continuity programme.

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Mina Mouhoub

Managing Director – Operations

Mina leads Diligencia’s consulting and due diligence solution team, working on a range of business intelligence and investigations, such as enhanced due diligence, international asset tracing, and supporting clients entering new markets in unfamiliar or high-risk jurisdictions. Prior to joining Diligencia in 2016, Mina was engaged with a global economic research and consultancy firm. She speaks native-level Arabic, French and English. 

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Neil Jenkinson

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

Neil joined Diligencia in 2023 as Financial Controller, responsible for the financial, legal and corporate governance affairs of the company. Neil is a qualified accountant who, prior to joining Diligencia, worked in the investment banking industry and has accumulated over 20 years of experience supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Lorna B&W

Lorna Marsh

HEAD OF MARKETING

Lorna joined us in 2019 and is responsible for spearheading the development and acceleration of the company's marketing strategy and global brand recognition. She leads our marketing team in delivering every aspect of the marketing mix from cutting-edge campaigns to optimising digital channels. Prior to joining Diligencia, Lorna spent 8 years in the UAE working for organisations in the financial services sector.