{"id":516,"date":"2021-01-31T13:08:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-31T13:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelbcons.crmpc.co.uk\/?page_id=516"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:22:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:22:36","slug":"case-studies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/michaelbcons.crmpc.co.uk\/?page_id=516","title":{"rendered":"Case Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Case Studies<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Read more about MBCL’s recent projects by clicking on the headings below.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSupporting governance in Jordan<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Michael provided support and advice to the Anti-Money Laundering Unit of Jordan\u2019s Central Bank on drafting and implementing regulations to establish a beneficial ownership register for the Kingdom. At the time, Jordan was on the FATF grey list. Implementing the regulations was part of a suite of measures to remove Jordan from the grey list. Countries on the FATF grey list can experience a significant impact on attracting investment and on GDP.<\/p>

Michael\u2019s contribution included:<\/p>

\u2022 Reviewing the relevant amendments to the Companies Act and AML law,
\u2022 Facilitating workshops involving a range of Jordanian government agencies both online and in person to make decisions on the policy inputs to the regulations and the detailed content,
\u2022 Reviewing draft regulations and providing feedback,
\u2022 Drafting the guidance document for companies to assist in compliance with the new regulations.<\/p>

As a result of implementing these regulations and other measures undertaken by th government, Jordan was removed from FATF\u2019s grey list.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Michael was the lead contributor for a new country entry report for a north American based mining company. The company was considering bidding for exploration licences in Egypt\u2019s mining sector.<\/p>

Michael provided:<\/p>

\u2022 Interviews with contacts both in country and outside to gain insights,
\u2022 Detailed analysis of the business context for international mining companies in Egypt,
\u2022 Mapping of key government stakeholders in the mining sector and their agendas,
\u2022 A comprehensive assessment of the political risks faced by the client,
\u2022 Strategies to mitigate risks.<\/p>

The analysis identified key risks stemming from the involvement of the military in the sector, the untested nature of recent legal and regulatory reforms and slow government decision-making. Using the analysis provided and the recommended mitigation strategies, the client went ahead with licence application and successfully established a presence in Egypt.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Michael, in collaboration with another consultant, conducted a human rights due diligence assessment for a major infrastructure project in Israel and the OPT to allow the leadership of major European engineering company to make fully informed\u00a0 decision on whether to bid for a controversial project. The project had a long history of controversy and attracted legal action and boycotts.<\/p>

Michael undertook desk top research, interviews with a range of stakeholders and conducted a field visit to Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.\u00a0 Interviewees included representatives of the client company, the Israeli government, foreign diplomats, the Palestinian Authority and both Israeli and Palestinian civil society.\u00a0<\/p>

Michael and his colleague produced a detailed report which described the human rights context for the project, provided a comprehensive assessment of the project\u2019s potential human rights impacts and set out the actions that the client would have to take to avoid any potential complicity in human rights abuses.\u00a0 The client along with several other international companies that were considering bidding for the project decided against bidding, citing human rights concerns. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Michael led two projects to advance beneficial ownership transparency of companies in the oil and gas sector in Iraq. The country implements the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The EITI Standard includes provisions on the public disclosure of the ultimate owners of companies operating in the sector. Failure to implement the Standard can lead to suspension and Iraq had experienced one period of suspension. The country was also facing validation of its implementation.<\/p>

Michael, in conjunction with Engaged Consulting, provided:<\/p>

\u2022 A scoping study and gap analysis,
\u2022 In-person training to the Iraq EITI leadership team on beneficial ownership,
\u2022 Online training for companies in scope for reporting,
\u2022 Undertook two rounds of data collection,
\u2022 Provided actionable recommendations to promote sustainable implementation beyond the scope of the projects.<\/p>

Iraq has avoided further suspension and successfully navigated the validation process. The Iraqi government has also introduced beneficial ownership obligations which cover the wider economy, beyond oil and gas.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Michael was a member of a multi-disciplinary team advising Egypt\u2019s Ministry of Petroleum on internal governance reforms. The project was funded by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The project aimed to streamline and enhance the governance of essential internal processes such as exploration licence award.<\/p>

Michael contributed to the project through:<\/p>

\u2022 Providing inputs to the process to identify 20 key processes for reform,
\u2022 Mapping licence application and licence award processes and recommending reforms,
\u2022 Participating in workshops with Ministry of Petroleum and state-owned company senior officials,
\u2022 Undertaking political economy analysis,
\u2022 Advising on international standards on transparency,
\u2022 Stakeholder engagement.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Michael was a member of a team of international and Azerbaijani consultants who delivered support to the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan to implement a beneficial ownership\u00a0disclosure roadmap.\u00a0 The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank and included:<\/p>