Massimiliano Costantini

I believe I am qualified for the following reasons:

I have over thirty years of experience in compliance/audit/finance/budget/admin in the worldwide humanitarian emergencies like: Ebola, natural disasters, Covid, Palestinian war and, in Private sectors.

I also covered special projects, such as SOX-404, in Tyco and PWC.

IPSAS implementation in three different UN-Orgs like WFP, UNJSPF and in ICGEB. While working for AA&-Co and PwC, I was involved in the merger and acquisition activities and in several industrial sectors. 

I worked in different UN orgs and NGOs managing operational, financial audits activities and HR information.

Since my youth, I liked to practice sports, read and going to the cinema. Sports have been, and continue to be, my passion, alongside reading and cinema. I like documentaries and read (or know) as much as possible about any subject outside my field of work. Curiosity and the desire for knowledge should go hand in hand.

Risk, Compliance & Audit Advisory Experience

Over the course of multiple emergency and country operations, I have served as Risk Officer, Compliance Officer, and Risk & Compliance Advisor within WFP, supporting both country offices and regional bureau leadership in strengthening governance, risk management, internal controls, and compliance frameworks. My contributions span operational risk reviews, audit facilitation, oversight functions, and strategic advisory.

Key Responsibilities and Contributions:

• Risk Management & Governance
• Embedded risk management into planning and decision-making by regularly updating and monitoring the risk register, driving the implementation of mitigation actions, and conducting the annual Executive Director’s Assurance exercise.
• Conducted in-depth assessments of country office processes and SOPs, identifying policy and procedural gaps and recommending corrective actions to enhance compliance and operational effectiveness.
• Ensured alignment with Global Assurance Standards, advising management on required internal control enhancements to meet upcoming requirements.
• Audit & Oversight Support
  • Facilitated the implementation of audit, evaluation, and oversight recommendations, ensuring timely closure of findings and sustained improvements in controls.
  • Supported internal and external audit exercises, coordinated responses, and prepared management teams for oversight reviews.
  • Conducted compliance reviews across programme, finance, logistics, procurement, and administration, providing actionable recommendations and follow-up.
  • Experience within the Bank/Finance sector – even if limited (worked as an auditor for Arab Bank Plc, Rome Branch and London office) – it is part of my DNA.
• Anti-Fraud & Compliance Advisory
  • Promoted and disseminated the WFP’s revised Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption (AFAC) policy, conducting fraud risk assessments in coordination with headquarters.
  • Provided advisory services on control mechanisms, segregation of duties, and compliance with donor agreements, safeguarding resources, and ensuring accountability.
• Emergency Operations & Field Support
  • Palestinian War (East Jerusalem): First Compliance officer on the ground for the initial period of the emergency, supporting the CO management and the Senior management in HQ. Provided advisory services on control mechanisms, assuring alignment with global standards, segregation of duties, and compliance with donor agreements, and ensuring accountability.
  • Idai & Kenneth Cyclone Emergency (Mozambique): Reviewed programme, supply chain, finance, and administrative functions; conducted field visits; strengthened warehouse and fleet management; and updated the country risk register.
  • Ebola Emergency (West Africa): Served as Compliance Officer across Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, ensuring robust internal controls in finance, logistics, procurement, and programme delivery during high-risk emergency operations. Conducted field verifications of distributions (food and cash) and supported the pilot rollout of LESS (Logistics Execution Support System).

Achievements:

• Established and operationalised compliance functions during major emergencies (Ebola & Cyclone responses), setting benchmarks later validated by successful audits.
• Strengthened risk and compliance culture across multiple operations by embedding accountability mechanisms and driving closure of oversight findings.
• Enhanced transparency and operational efficiency through systematic reviews of financial, administrative, and logistics processes, ensuring alignment with donor requirements and WFP global standards.

Ended the Università degli Studi di Roma, facoltà di Economia e Commercio (BBA) in 1991. I started working with AA&Co in 1992. In 1999 (after three years of recognized work in audit/cst/risk management with PWC 1998-2000), I passed the post-laurea (mandatory) exam for being nominated Revisore dei Conti