Calvin Christopher
Calvin Christopher is a legal adviser and risk manager who is dedicated to assisting clients to capture opportunities and secure sustainable profitability.
Calvin is a Partner in the South African Office of Spencer West, an international law firm based in the UK which supports clients across 25 countries globally. Calvin’s practice focuses on regulatory and compliance advisory for banking and financial services firms. Calvin also specialises in support for cross-border entrants into the Southern African market.
Prior to joining Spencer West, Calvin served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Standard Chartered Bank for South & Southern Africa, with responsibility for markets including Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Calvin also served as an Executive Director in the Dubai Regional Officer, with oversight of 25 countries across Africa and the Middle East. Calvin supported the bank to achieve significant progress in the reduction of regulatory fines, improvement of audit outcomes, strengthening of regulatory relationships and embedment of compliance and controls.
Calvin previously served as a legal advisor and compliance officer for the Barclays Africa Group, specializing in financial markets and treasury businesses across Africa.
Calvin began his career in private practice, focusing on capital markets and corporate finance. He practiced with the London office of Skadden, Arps and with White & Case in Johannesburg.
In his career and studies, Calvin has been focused on the relationship between economic growth and prosperity, on the one hand, and sustainability and good governance, on the other. He completed his undergraduate degree at the Princeton University School of Public Policy and International Affairs, and obtained his law degree from New York University.