Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is a lawyer turned whistleblower whose courageous decision to expose multinational corruption transformed him into one of the most significant truth-tellers of the twenty-first century. As a former senior in-house lawyer at SBM Offshore, he uncovered evidence of widespread bribery that sparked Brazil's landmark Carwash investigation, resulting in over US$840 million in penalties, the conviction of two CEOs, and political upheaval that reached presidential level. His testimony to authorities across six countries, including the FBI, came at enormous personal cost: he survived legal intimidation, a year's wrongful detention in Croatia under an Interpol Red Notice, and abandonment by the governments he assisted. His sessions equip leaders and organisations with vital understanding of corporate fraud mechanisms, the realities whistleblowers face, and the ethical courage required to challenge corruption at the highest levels of international business and politics.

In January 2015, Jonathan Taylor made a decision that would cost him his freedom, his career, and nearly his life: he went public with evidence of systematic corruption at Dutch multinational SBM Offshore, where he had served as one of the most senior in-house lawyers. His testimony to Brazilian media triggered a political earthquake that toppled the entire board of Petrobras within weeks and contributed to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff within a year. What followed was not protection or gratitude, but five years of legal persecution culminating in his arrest on a family holiday in Croatia in 2020, where he spent a year in detention under an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of his former employer. Released only through ministerial intervention in July 2021, Jonathan returned to the UK having experienced first-hand the mechanisms that silence those who challenge powerful interests.

Jonathan's path to whistleblowing began in the conventional corridors of corporate law. After working with a prestigious UK firm across Cairo, London, and Muscat, he joined Monaco-based SBM Offshore in 2003, rising to become the company's second-highest-ranking lawyer. When he discovered concrete evidence of widespread bribery in 2012, he resigned and eventually cooperated with authorities across six countries, including the FBI in Washington DC. His evidence led to over US$840 million in penalties against SBM, the conviction of two former CEOs, and ongoing investigations into senior management. Yet the personal cost proved devastating: SBM launched a defamation lawsuit in the Dutch courts, filed criminal complaints in Monaco, and weaponised Interpol's systems against him. During his year in Croatian detention, not one of the governments he had assisted, including the UK, offered protection. His case attracted support from nearly two dozen British MPs and global media coverage, whilst civil society organisations worldwide campaigned for his release. In October 2022, Monaco's Appeal Court finally confirmed he had no case to answer, but the vindication came too late to undo the damage.

Jonathan now helps organisations and leaders understand the realities behind corporate corruption and the fragile systems meant to combat it. His sessions reveal how fraud operates at the highest levels of international business, why crisis management so often prioritises reputation over integrity, and what happens when whistleblowers confront institutions designed to protect the powerful rather than the public interest. Audiences gain practical insight into recognising corruption, understanding cross-border legal complexities, and building cultures where ethical courage can survive. His testimony matters not because it offers easy answers, but because it exposes uncomfortable truths about accountability, governance, and the personal price of defending the rule of law in a world still learning how to protect those who dare to tell the truth.