Catherine M. Woods has more than 20 years of experience in global banks, fintech, and crypto, and also served in the Air Force. She specializes in defense public-private partnerships, including irregular warfare and economic statecraft. She delivers: (1) capacity building in financial institutions to contribute towards the defense mission, such as export control responsibilities; and (2) financial knowledge to the military, such as effects of illicit activity by state and non-state actors, and the potential uses and risks of crypto.

Based in Washington, DC, Catherine’s expert knowledge includes cartels, Chinese Money Laundering Networks, crypto, and illicit procurement networks used by adversaries to acquire sensitive items. Catherine has presented at the National War College, Irregular Warfare Initiative, and Department of the Air Force AI Accelerator at MIT. She is a Nonresident Fellow 2026 with the Irregular Warfare Initiative.

Previously, Catherine held senior and specialist positions in London, Hong Kong, and Australia. As a financial sector representative to the UK’s Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (JMLIT), she jointly led one of JMLIT’s Expert Working Groups. Catherine also delivered financial crime intelligence assessments at HSBC, led global public-private intelligence sharing initiatives at Standard Chartered Bank, and established the client due diligence department at a crypto startup.

Catherine holds a Juris Doctor (LLB) from the University of Melbourne, a UK CAA Commercial Pilot Licence, and a FAA Part 107 small-UAS Certificate.