Nikita Vaidya

Nikita has over 13 years of experience in forensics with specific focus on asset tracing, intelligence gathering, investigations, integrity and reputational due diligence, multijurisdictional asset tracing and recovery, dispute and litigation support, and other complex fraud investigations.

Prior to Ankura, Nikita held senior management roles in the forensic practice of a Big 4 in Dubai and India. She started her career in the investigations and transaction risk management function of Amazon in Germany and India. Throughout her career, Nikita has successfully led several assignments focused on intelligence gathering for due diligence and asset search and recovery support for international and middle eastern banks, sovereign wealth funds, multinational companies across various sectors, and government and semi-government clients.

Nikita’s selected professional experience includes:

• Complex fund tracing investigation involving tracing of more than USD $10 billion across multiple complex jurisdictions for a middle eastern sovereign wealth fund.
• Led end to end asset search and recovery engagement for a middle eastern bank. This involved identifying the location of the individual, their assets, and business interests, supporting legal procedures such as obtaining freezing orders, summary judgements, and leading negotiations which eventually led to favorable cash settlement.
• Led complex fund tracing and asset search engagements in support of fraud investigations to assist with overall legal strategy around recovery of monies lost to fraud and evidence gathering for legal cases.
• Led multiple enhanced due diligence exercises for private equity clients, and high net worth investors to assist with their pre-investment due diligence efforts.
• Review and evaluation of non-performing loan portfolios for multinational banks followed by asset tracing and recovery of defaulted loans with particular focus on skip cases and settlement negotiations with loan defaulters.
• Assisted with investigations in relation to undisclosed conflicts of interest, embezzlement, sanctions evasions, identity theft, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, and frauds.