John McFarland

Team Member

John McFarland

Senior Advisor

John McFarland is a highly experienced governance, risk, compliance and investigations professional with more than 30 years of experience assisting government, local government and private sector organisations to manage complex operational, integrity and compliance risks. He specialises in enterprise risk management, governance, organisational integrity, investigations and misconduct matters, bringing a practical and strategic approach to improving governance outcomes and organisational resilience.

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As a former Chief Executive Officer and Practice Leader of one of Asia’s leading risk consulting firms, John has led numerous complex investigations involving fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, misconduct and whistleblower allegations, many resulting in law enforcement referrals and parallel civil proceedings. He has also conducted a broad range of risk, compliance and governance advisory engagements, including operational audits, compliance reviews, fraud risk assessments and integrity programs involving executives, employees, contractors and third parties.

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John has delivered numerous risk, compliance and organisational integrity engagements focused on the investigation of misconduct and fraud, fraud prevention, contract probity and regulatory compliance in multiple countries.

Areas of Specialisation

Workplace and compliance investigations, fraud and corruption prevention, Code of Conduct matters, anti-corruption programs, fraud analytics, civil and criminal investigations, and operational risk management.

Industry Experience

Government (including local) and publicsector, financial services, retail and FMCG, insurance, transport, constructionand infrastructure, oil and gas, technology and telecommunications, and legal and regulatory.

Snapshot of Experience

Investigated governance breaches, supplier collusion, and fraudulent expense claims for a leading Australian manufacturer.

Led a whistleblower investigation into governance failures and fraud-related losses for a major financial institution.

Managed a complex workplace misconduct investigation involving violence, intimidation, and harassment at a Malaysian manufacturing facility.

Conducted a board-level forensic investigation identifying conflicts of interest and indicators of insider trading.

Delivered fraud risk analytics, stock-loss assessments, and integrity investigations for a $2 billion ASX-listed retailer.

Led a high-profile whistleblower investigation into alleged corruption and maladministration on a major renewable energy project.

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