Asia-Pacific Leadership:

Compliance for Global Security

About Us

Our Mission

Compliance and Capacity Skills International-Asia Pacific (CCSI-APAC)’s team of experts supports Governments and industries in international and national security through the non-proliferation of missiles, weapons of mass destruction, and conventional weapons.

Experience,Expertise and Diversity

Publication and Media

CCSI Group

Our Team

Maiko Takeuchi

Expert/Adviser on Strategic Trade Control and Non-proliferation

Maiko Takeuchi is Chief Executive and Chair of the Board of Directors of CCSi-APAC. She has 20 years of experience ... in national security where she specialized in WMD non-proliferation and security export control. She served the United Nations Security Council as a member of the Panel of Experts for North Korea (UNSCR 1874) for five years (2016-2021). While on the Panel, she investigated North Korea’s nuclear and other WMD programs and related procurement, and violations of embargos, overseas workers, and activities of UN- designated entities. Before joining the United Nations, she served the Ministry of Defense for 15 years as a defense policy official. She worked on cyber security strategy and communication systems in the Ministry of Defense, and from 2008 to 2010, she worked on strategic trade control as the chief of the research and planning office at the Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Industry. During her career in government, she was also appointed to the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Korea as First Secretary and Civilian Defense Attaché for four years. She was appointed to the Cabinet Secretariat for National Security and Crisis Management, where she worked for inter-agency policy coordination. As a diplomat and strategic trade control officer as well as WMD expert, she has on the ground experience and legal expertise in non-proliferation and strategic trade control. She has had the opportunity to present on outreach and capacity building activities for both government practitioners, industries, and financial institutions. She is a visiting scholar at the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Research, Waseda University. She holds a Master’s degree in Regional Studies East Asia from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Tokyo. While contributing to the media to raise awareness on economic sanctions, she has written a number of articles on the effective implementation of sanctions.

Loraine Rickard-Martin

Director

Loraine Rickard-Martin is co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of Compliance and Capacity Skills International (CCSI). ... As Board Chair, she provides strategic support and oversight of CCSI’s training programs on compliance with sanctions, strategic trade control and other public and private sector security issues. As CCSI’s CEO, she co-managed the first United Nations system-wide training on sanctions compliance and implementation (2011-2012) funded by the Government of Canada; co-managed sanctions reform processes such as the High-Level Review of United Nations Sanctions (2915), the follow-on Assessment of the HLR (2017); and co-implemented of the Best Practices Guide for Chairs and Members of UN Sanctions Committees (2018 and 2020). She implemented the “Workshop on Sanctions and Gender” held in Nairobi in 2019, funded by Global Affairs Canada(GAC) and the Government of the Netherlands. She advised the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on sanctions issues with the drafting of an AU sanctions manual (2012). Prior to co-founding CCSI in 2011, she served the United Nations for over three decades, including 15 years as senior political affairs officer and sanctions committee secretary in the Security Council Affairs Division of the Department of Political Affairs, New York, advising sanctions committee chairs and members, supporting teams of sanctions monitors, and participating in reform processes to refine the sanctions tool. She was Secretary of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change (2003-2004). She lectured on United Nations sanctions at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and taught an intensive ten-week course for diplomats at Columbia University (2010-2013). She is the co-author with Enrico Carisch and Shawna Meister of “The Evolution of UN Sanctions: From a Tool of Warfare to a Tool of Peace, Security and Human Rights” (2017), and has co-authored other articles and publications on international sanctions, including, most recently, “United Nations Sanctions – Through Gender Lens” in “Multilateral Sanctions Dissected: Lessons Learned from Margaret Doxey”, Andrea Charron and Clara Portela, eds., (McGill Queens UP, 2021).

Enrico Carisch

Director, Specialist on Financial Aspects of Strategic Trade Control and Sanctions Compliance and Implementation

Enrico Carisch is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of CCSI. In addition to coordinating the development ... and delivery of training curricula, and drafting of manuals and handbooks, he is a specialist in financial integrity frameworks. Among many other projects delivered on behalf of GAC, he has conceived and delivered trainings on counter-proliferation financing, on the effective application of client-onboarding, KYC and due diligence. Prior to co-founding CCSI in 2011, he served the United Nations Security Council as a financial and natural resources sanctions monitor. He leads and conducts research and capacity-building projects for conflict- affected regions and societies, and frequently authors and co-authors articles and manuals on the wide range of security topics covered in CCSI’s training programs. He co-managed the first UN system-wide training program on sanctions, funded by Global Affairs Canada (2012-2013), and the consultative process for the High Level Review of UN Sanctions Practices (2014) as well as the development of the Best Practices Guide for Chairs and Members of United Nations Sanctions Committees (2020).

Caterina Ventura

Chief Executive Officer

Caterina Ventura is an international lawyer with extensive experience in a range of political, economic and human rights issues, at The Hague, in ... the United Nations, Human Rights and Economic Law Division, in the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. She served in Global Affairs Canada in a variety of positions from 1999 to 2021, recently as High Commissioner to Brunei, where she was responsible for country policy and programming coherence on trade, political and public affairs, consular and administration. As Senior Adviser, Partnerships for Development Innovation Branch, she was engaged in the development of the Department’s Innovation for Development policy and led its implementation through connecting social impact entrepreneurs with investors in order to provide needed goods and services to countries in development. While representing the Government of Canada at the United Nations, she formulated political strategies and advanced and promoted Canadian policies, priorities and interests on the Middle-East, Asia, counter-terrorism, and sanctions. She facilitated collaboration among the UN Secretariat, member states and stakeholders to advance common objectives, participated in and chaired negotiations and provided the Government with timely, quality reporting and analysis on high profile, often controversial Security Council and General Assembly issues including Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iraq and Israel/Palestine. She was instrumental in facilitating the Canadian Government’s sponsorship of the first UN system-wide training on sanctions monitoring and implementation, implemented by CCSI in 2012-2013.

What We DO

Strategic Trade Control

Strategic trade control involves the regulation of the transfer of goods, technology, and services that could contribute to WMD and other military programs. ... Effective controls must regulate a wide range of goods and technologies, and risk actors to mitigate proliferation risks posed by countries or non-state actors with expansionist and illegal WMD and military intentions.

WMD Non-Proliferation

Threats of WMD proliferation are profound not only for countries and industries,but also for global security. The enforcement of nonproliferation sanctions ... and strategic trade controls must therefore be determined and present real risks to violators, ranging from steep financial penalties to devastating reputational damage. CCSI-APAC’s experts specialize in assessing these risks, and in structuring effective implementation and compliance programs for frontline enforcement professionals of governments and the private sector professionals. Our services include country/industry risk assessment, proliferation network analysis, and sanctions compliance training, and identification of prohibited goods and related dual use goods and their supply chains.

Proliferation Financing

Government oversight authorities and private sector risk managers often lack clarity and specificity about the measures adopted under nonproliferation ... financing sanctions, and related recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force. CCSI APAC experts can assist public oversight authorities and private sector risk managers the diverse measures in force and the related implementation and compliance obligations. The purpose of these restrictions is to restrict the provision of funds or financial services that could be used by negative actors to fund WMD programs. The principal compliance tools are onboarding procedures and vetting, followed up by transactional Know-your-Customer procedures. Complying with proliferation financing sanctions and rules is crucial for maintaining global security, preventing the spread of these dangerous weapons, and mitigating industry risks to avoid legal consequences associated with violating sanctions. CCSI-APAC offers not only technical compliance assistance, but can also assist with analyzing financial flows, supply chains and connected cyber activities and cryptocurrency transactions to determine whether negative actors have infiltrated surreptitiously client’s networks and financial activities.

Biological/Chemical Security and Safety

The importance of biological and chemical safety and security lies in preventing the misuse of these materials that could lead to severe public health ... crises and destabilized national or international security. Addressing bio and chemical risks is particularly challenging due to the wide range of dual-use items involved and the necessity of understanding specific regional risks. The challenge of mitigating biorisk has now been further exacerbated with the emergence of very sophisticated biocybersecurity threats. CCSI-APAC has been conducting legal assessments, country risk evaluations, and practitioner training for government, academia, and research institutes to ensure comprehensive coverage of both biological/chemical safety and security.

Cyber Security

The risk of cybersecurity breaches in industries and government is an omnipresent consequence of the necessity for all enterprises to undergo a digital ... transformation. Frequently, cyber security failures are either not or too late recognized. Theft of sensitive data or financial resources, including fiat or virtual assets, operational disruptions, and national security threats are too often the consequences. Worst case scenarios may also include the loss of investor confidence and significant deterioration of shareholder value. CCSI-APAC can provide practical, tailor-made training for government and industry practitioners for each of the principal security domains: Border and customs control, financial management, law enforcement and intelligence sharing, command and control functions, or data management of institutes engaged in sensitive research and development. Guidance addresses all major categories of enterprise vulnerabilities.

Custom and Border Control

Customs and border control are crucial national gatekeepers who prevent and control transfers of illicit trades of WMD, conventional weapons, and related ... due diligence that violate both domestic laws and international regulations and nonproliferation frameworks. CCSI-APAC’s border control experts can provide risk assessments, typologies of proliferation actors and tailor-made trainings that are responsive to national vulnerabilities to such negative actors and smugglers. This specialized training, led by former customs and licensing officers with firsthand experiences ensures that those on the front lines are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively safeguard against these significant security threats.

Maritime and Port Security

Maritime and port assets are frequently abused by proliferation actors such as North Korea and other. These are two security domains that play a critical ... role in ensuring effective WMD non-proliferation enforcement as they serve as checkpoints for international cargo transfers, including weapons and related dual use technologies. The complexity of addressing these security challenges lies in the wide range of concerns that need to be managed, including tracking vessels, background check of operators and owners, ensuring compliance with international regulations, and maintaining vigilance against sophisticated smuggling tactics. Effective maritime and port security requires deep industry knowledge and comprehensive risk management strategies. CCSI-APAC, with experts who have first-hand experience in customs and maritime security, offers unmatched services, including Know Your Customer’s Customer (KYCC) research, regional risk assessments, and specialized training for practitioners.

National Security

Understanding national security policy and industry in the Asia-Pacific region requires extensive knowledge of weapons systems, regional dynamics, and ... the activities of both state and non-state actors, and their typologies to undermine the integrity of financial flows and cyber-security. CCSI-APAC multi-disciplinary expert teams can assist in a broad range of security concerns, including defense, diplomacy, organized crime, anti-corruption, financial oversight, cybersecurity certifications, gender parity, and many more areas of national and international security. The team can also provide thorough national security analysis, conduct in-depth research on the activities of countries and non-state actors in the Asia-Pacific region, Central Asia and the Global South..

Regional Affairs

Dynamics in Asia Pacific region underscore the necessity for robust security measures and intelligence. CCSI-APAC, with its staff strategically located ... across the region, leverages a strong network with government agencies to provide comprehensive regional risk research and networking support.

Economic Statecraft

Economic statecraft is a critical aspect of modern international relations, as it leverages economic tools and policies to achieve political and strategic ... objectives, influencing global power dynamics and fostering stability. CCSI-APAC team excels in providing comprehensive research and crafting nuanced political proposals, tailored to address the complexities of economic statecraft.

Contact

Office location

Chiyoda ku, Tokyo, Japan

Email Us

info-apac@ccsi.global