As a mark of respect for Stella Walsh, the Fraud Women’s Network (FWN) in partnership with the London Fraud Team presented an annual award for “Excellence in the fight against fraud” on the 6th March 2008.
The award is dedicated to Stella who was a key founding member of the FWN which started life in early 2004 as an informal, social gathering of women involved in the anti-fraud arena.
Stella was a dedicated professional within the fraud arena at a time when there were few women prepared to enter what had traditionally been regarded as a strongly male environment. Throughout her career working in fraud she set new standards for her peers. Her strength of character and determination to ensure that the best result was always achieved through her dedication and meticulous attention to detail was well known. Her approach to fraud could be described as persistent and determined, and was always accompanied by a strong sense of humour which stayed with her until her premature death from cancer at the age of 40.
The FWN and the London Fraud Team requested nominations for a female within the fraud prevention industry who has achieved any of the following:-
- An outstanding fraud investigation
- Innovative product development
- Bravery through fraud related work
- Long term commitment to fraud (a life time achievement)
The finalists were (in aplabetical order)
- Nicola Fairbairn (nominated for her Long Term Commitment to Fraud) Nicola is a City of London Police Constable, where she joined the Financial Investigation Unit Confiscation Team over 6 years ago.
- Helen Hatton – (nominated for her Long Term Commitment to Fraud) Helen is a solicitor who was, for six years, Director of Enforcement for the Isle of Man Financial Services Supervision Commission, and then moved on to be Director of Enforcement and then Deputy Director General of the Financial Services Commission in Jersey.
- Katie Hodson – (nominated for her Long Term Commitment to Fraud and also Innovative Product Development) Katie has worked as a Senior Fraud Investigator with the SCS Corporate Security Team for some 11 years.
- Sue Jones – (nominated for her Long Term Commitment to Fraud) Sue founded the Churchill Insurance Anti Fraud Department 8 years ago, and went on to become head of the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
- Mel Moody – (nominated for her Outstanding Fraud Investigation) Mel is a Detective Constable with the City of London Police, and has been nominated for her work in a long-running high profile fraud case.
The 2008 winner was Katie Hodson who is a senior member of the SGS Corporate Security Team and has been a Senior Fraud Investigator for eleven years.
SGS is the global leader and innovator in trade inspection, verification, testing and certification services. With over 50,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1000 offices and laboratories around the world in 140 countries.
In the past eleven years Katie has investigated over 50 serious trade frauds as part of SGS’s commitment to protect its own assets, its integrity and that of its customers who are engaged in global trade. The fraud investigations have often been conducted in high risk areas with no overt support services and under potentially dangerous conditions.
Katie (38) is a graduate from Leicester University with an MSc in security risk management and on top of huge work loads manages to successfully raise two children, both under ten years old. Katie is a member of The Security Institute in the UK, a member of the International American Society for Industrial Security and a deputy member of the prestigious European Institute of Corporate Security Management.
During the forthcoming year, if you would like to nominate a female within the fraud prevention industry who has achieved any of the following, please let us know using the nomination form below:-
- An outstanding fraud investigation
- Innovative product development
- Bravery through fraud related work
- Long term commitment to fraud (a life time achievement)
In considering nominations, please bear in mind the above four strict categories. Recommendations will be submitted to the FWN, with a word limit of approximately a minimum of 500 words but less than a maximum of 1000 words. All nominations will be reviewed by a sub-committee consisting of two executive members of the FWN and the London Fraud Team, before the final review and endorsement. The permission of the Nominee must be obtained prior to any submissions.
Click here to download the form as a pdf
Click here to launch the online form and submit your nomination via the web
The award is sponsored by the London Fraud Team and will be an annual event. 
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