“I have taken what I learned from IWP and applied it to the financial realm.”
-Philip Otto (’20)
Philip Otto (’20) launched his career in the due diligence industry during his second year at IWP. His studies in cultural and historical contexts, economics, sanctions, and terrorist financing have made him effective in the research and analysis he conducts for his private-sector clients. Thanks to Philip’s work, his clients can move forward with high-stakes mergers, key hires, and new investments while avoiding becoming entangled with a person or company with a criminal background or connections.
Here, Philip describes his undergraduate experience at UNC-Chapel Hill, his research with the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, his studies at IWP, and his current work.
An interview with Philip Otto
Please tell us a little about your background and undergraduate experience.
I was born and raised in San Francisco. I have a family history of military experience, and I started considering a military career. I was recruited to play soccer at the Virginia Military Institute, where I began Marine Corps ROTC.
I then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I discovered the Peace, War, and Defense Major. Although it was a big public school, this major included a small group of people with similar interests who all took the same Peace, War, and Defense classes. I got to meet a lot of people and form connections.
How did you find IWP?
I did a tour of D.C. with the Peace, War, and Defense program. We spent three days visiting big agencies like the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense and speaking with people who worked there. We also stopped at IWP.
After speaking with IWP alumni and Danielle Shover of the IWP recruitment team, I was impressed by IWP. It was also the first year that IWP and UNC-Chapel Hill had a partnership scholarship. Both schools supported my decision to attend IWP for graduate school.
What was it like during your first year at IWP?
During my first year, I was a full-time student. It was nice to fully focus on the program and get used to graduate school, with lots of reading, writing, and longer lectures.
Even before I started my first semester, I worked with Derrick Dortch over the summer. He helped connect me with the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC), and I was a Research Associate with them for my first year at IWP.
I did media monitoring and analysis of terrorist groups, propaganda, and online chatter to identify what they are doing operationally and tactically in different areas of the world. I was assigned to ISIS in eastern Syria/western Iraq.
I had a few big reports and incidents to cover. We often published our analysis before major news outlets like the BBC and The New York Times.
Being present in those chatrooms and Telegram channels where terrorist activity was unfolding impacted my time at IWP because that research blended into my papers. The real-time activity I witnessed was connected to what I was studying in history. I saw the impact of the economic policy that I studied in the classroom on terrorist movements.
I had been wondering if it was worth it to study at IWP, and this work helped me realize that these topics are real and make a difference in the world. During both years of school, I took what I was learning in class and applied it to my jobs.
Please tell us about the job you began during your second year at IWP.
During my second year, I became a part-time student and had a full-time job. I began working in corporate investigation and risk management for investment firms.
During the day, I did a lot of investigative research, and at IWP, I learned about policy, regulation, governmental affairs, and other topics that would apply to my job.
It was grueling that second year! I woke up at 5:00 AM to work out, and I got home after class at 10:15 PM. It was worth it, and it gave me a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
Why did you choose the due diligence industry?
I was interested in investigative work, but I wanted to find a job quickly without waiting for a lengthy government security clearance process. I looked at where I could apply my interests in the private sector, and I discovered that I could do the type of work I wanted within the due diligence industry. I would be able to work on reputational investigative work, legal and regulatory issues, as well as issues surrounding sanctions and watchlists.
Please tell us about your current work.
At my current firm, I work on the intelligence team. Our work is more niche – we do more complex projects for clients. I manage client products, and I also help newer associates who are green in the industry. I manage and train for our human intelligence (HUMINT) products, which are the most complex products that we have.
We profile a person or company based on open-source information, and we create a report for our clients. Sometimes a client needs to know more about a person’s reputation within an industry, and we add a HUMINT component to the project. We work with investigators who go out and discreetly ask questions. When our clients invest in a person, they know what they are getting into.
Sometimes our clients need a better understanding of a person with international ties in places with less open-source information – places like Southeast Asia or South America. Before our client invests with them, works with them, or hires them, they want to have a better picture of what they are involved with. We find the information that they need. Our HUMINT work is more of an art than a science – you never know what you will get back from the investigator!
I analyze the transcript from the investigator and put it into the report. If the client needs additional explanation, I speak with them about it.
It has been exciting to work on more complicated products and help less experienced colleagues improve their investigative skills. Our company is growing, and it has been great to step into engaging activities at the firm.
What have been some of your successes at work?
We count it as a success when we can find obscure litigation on someone, or when we are able to help clients with very specific questions with answers that are tough to find. I have helped identify people who lie about their education or who have been involved in something crazy. Our clients are very appreciative!
Although I don’t always see the results of my work, it is exciting to conduct investigations before a big merger or acquisition, or for a high-profile company that will go public. When I read about it in the paper a few weeks later, I know that I had a hand in making it happen and ensuring that all parties involved were clean. It’s fulfilling, and it makes me feel like I’m contributing to the world around me.
Has your background at IWP been helpful to you in your research and analysis work?
IWP gave me a good understanding of international cultural and historical backgrounds. When I’m working in international markets, I have an understanding from my classes of potential nefarious activity. I have a perspective on what to look for, depending on the country and the context.
Thanks to IWP, I have a better understanding of sanctions and where I should be taking my investigations. I understand what countries are considered shady in the business world and where shell companies might be set up.
From my economics classes at IWP, I am able to see why our clients are investing in certain places and where they want to avoid. My studies were very important in understanding the foundations of this dynamic work in investment markets and how they operate. For instance, we studied terrorist financing, where North Korea gets its weapons, and how the black market works. All of this is important to my current job. If I know where these activities exist, I can alert my clients of potential risks.
What would you tell a prospective student about IWP?
It’s a great community, regardless of what you’re interested in. Because IWP is small, you get to know everybody. You get face time with professors who are very knowledgeable within their fields. I remember being so starstruck when I had a professor who worked with the FBI for over 30 years, and he knew me and would answer my emails.
You don’t have to come into IWP knowing exactly what you want to do. IWP will listen to you, help you figure it out, and help you achieve it.
