Dr Jonathan Gilbert

Dr Jonathan Gilbert is a researcher, author, speaker and lecturer specialising in financial crime and criminal justice, having served six years of a twelve-year prison sentence for his facilitating role in a multi-million-pound mortgage and bank fraud.

A former solicitor, Jonathan was struck off the solicitor’s roll in 2010, and was sentenced in 2014 before being released in 2020. It was whilst in prison, he re-engaged with education, completing a MSc (University of Portsmouth) and a PhD (Cardiff University). Dr Jonathan Gilbert is now a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Lecturer in Law at UWE Bristol and visiting lecturer at Cardiff and Manchester University. A monograph based upon his research is due to be published by Routledge in 2027.

Jonathan has presented widely, both in the UK and internationally, at academic, counter-fraud, compliance and criminal justice conferences, seminars and masterclasses.

His speaking topics include –

• Financial crime
• Mortgage fraud
• Professional enablers
• Organisational culture
• Governance and Compliance
• Ethical decision-making
• Accountability
• Rehabilitation
• and restorative justice.

Drawing upon both academic research and lived experience, Jonathan’s work is underpinned by a belief in accountability, reflection and personal responsibility. He speaks candidly about the causes and consequences of financial crime, the impact offending has on victims, families and institutions, and the importance of ethical decision-making, rehabilitation and second chances. As Jonathan reflects:

“Being imprisoned provides you with a mental test each and every day, yet by remaining positive, focused and determined you can use that experience to rebuild the self-esteem and pride that you recklessly traded whilst offending. Whilst my mistakes deserved serious punishment, they do not wholly define me moving forwards. I hope that my honesty, transparency and sense of purpose can provide insight to those seeking to prevent financial crime, support rehabilitation, and help others make better decisions than I did.”

Amongst other appointments, he serves on the steering committee of the Wales and South West Fraud Forum, sits on the Prisoners’ Education Trust Alumni Advisory Board, and is co-lead of the Economic Crime Experts Directory.

Alongside his academic work, Jonathan has contributed to academic and policy-led research projects and engages in voluntary work to improve rehabilitative and educational opportunities within the criminal justice system. He is a regular podcast guest and media contributor and has appeared on talkRADIO, talkTV and BBC Radio 4 discussing financial crime, rehabilitation and criminal justice reform.

Signature Keynotes:

How Good People Make Bad Decisions  –Jonathan believes that serious misconduct rarely begins with a single catastrophic act. More often it starts with small compromises, rationalisations and decisions that appear manageable at the time, but which gradually move people away from the standards they once expected of themselves. Drawing on both academic research and lived experience, Jonathan explores how ethical slippage occurs, how seemingly ordinary people become involved in serious wrongdoing, and what organisations can do to recognise and challenge these risks before they become crises.

Themes: ethical slippage, decision-making under pressure, organisational culture, professional integrity, accountability and misconduct.

Accountability Beyond Punishment – Society spends a great deal of time discussing punishment and much less time considering what accountability actually means. This talk explores the distinction between punishment, accountability and responsibility. Drawing on his own experience of reputational damage, bankruptcy, professional disbarment and imprisonment, Jonathan considers what follows. He discusses the practical and personal challenges of rebuilding trust, credibility and purpose, and why accountability requires considerably more than simply accepting punishment.

Themes: accountability, responsibility, trust, leadership, professional discipline, rehabilitation and second chances.

Ethical Leadership in High-Pressure Environments – Many unethical decisions are made not by inherently bad people, but by otherwise decent people operating under pressure, facing competing demands and gradually normalising behaviours they would once have rejected. This session explores why ethical decision-making becomes difficult in practice, how cultural and organisational pressures influence behaviour, and what leaders can do to create environments where integrity is protected rather than compromised.

Themes: leadership, culture, decision-making, integrity, accountability and organisational learning.

Fall From Grace: Success, Failure and Rebuilding a Life

Jonathans story is one of life chances, opportunity, success, poor decision-making, imprisonment and rehabilitation. However, the lessons extend far beyond financial crime itself. This talk examines the consequences of failure, the loss of status, identity and reputation, and the difficult process of rebuilding a meaningful life after serious mistakes. It considers how education, purpose and resilience can help individuals move forward whilst remaining accountable for the past.

Themes: resilience, identity, rehabilitation, education, purpose, leadership and personal growth.

Financial Crime and Professional Practice:

The Human Impact of Financial Crime – Financial crime is often perceived as victimless or abstract, particularly where institutions rather than individuals are involved. Drawing on both research and personal experience, Jonathan explores the wider consequences of fraud and financial misconduct for victims, families, professionals, organisations and communities. He discusses why financial crime should never be viewed solely through the lens of financial loss and how a better understanding of harm can support more effective prevention strategies.

Themes: victim impact, professional responsibility, organisational harm, public trust and fraud prevention.

Why People Really Commit Financial Crime – Financial crime is often explained through concepts such as pressure, opportunity and rationalisation. Whilst these factors remain important, they rarely tell the full story. Drawing on research, interviews with offenders, investigators and practitioners, and personal experience, Jonathan explores the complex mix of motivations, relationships, organisational influences and decision-making processes that can lead individuals into serious financial misconduct. The session challenges simplistic assumptions about white-collar offending and considers what effective prevention might look like in practice.

Themes: financial crime, decision-making, rationalisation, criminological theory, organisational culture, offender motivation and prevention.

The Professional Enabler: When Expertise Facilitates Crime – Financial crime often depends upon trusted professionals who possess expertise, credibility and access. Drawing on research, lived experience and analysis of major fraud cases, this session explores the role that solicitors, accountants, financial advisers and other professionals can play in facilitating misconduct. Rather than focusing solely on individual wrongdoing, Jonthan examines the pressures, rationalisations and organisational factors that can lead professionals towards decisions they would once have considered unthinkable.

Themes: professional enablers, professional ethics, regulatory responsibility, organisational culture, trust, integrity and reputation.

Inside Financial Crime: Research, Regulation and Reality – Drawing on doctoral research into mortgage and bank fraud, interviews with offenders, investigators and regulators, and personal experience of the criminal justice system, this session explores how financial crime is organised, facilitated and concealed. The talk examines the role of professional enablers, governance failures, regulation, compliance and organisational culture, whilst identifying practical lessons for those responsible for preventing and responding to economic crime.

Themes: fraud, economic crime, professional enablers, regulation, compliance, governance and fraud prevention.

His audiences and stakeholders have included the Home Office, Cabinet Office, Ministry of Justice, Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, Solicitors Regulation Authority, Law Society, city of London Police, National Crime Agency, International Compliance Association, the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, UNODC, as well as the UK banking sector.