Clarity Talks – An interview with… Mina Mouhoub, Managing Director of Operations

My name is Mina Mouhoub and I am originally from Algeria. I have worked at Diligencia since 2016, initially based at our Oxford office before relocating with my family to Dubai last year. I serve as the Managing Director of Operations, heading up the consulting and due diligence solution team. My team, based in both Morocco and the UK, work together on a range of business intelligence and investigations, such as enhanced due diligence, international asset tracing, and supporting clients entering new markets in unfamiliar or high-risk jurisdictions. 

What drew you to working at Diligencia? 
Prior to joining Diligencia, I was engaged with a global economic research and consultancy firm that provides business intelligence on emerging markets and I had just completed my master's degree in business management. I was keen to utilise my language skills and further expand my knowledge in business intelligence and felt that Diligencia would offer me a chance to do both. 

I began my career with Diligencia as a junior business analyst, focusing mainly on North Africa due to my proficiency in English, French and Arabic. Over a fairly short period of time, I expanded my coverage to include the Middle East, and then sub-Saharan Africa too. 

What do you like most about what you do? 
I love the variety of my job; no two days are ever the same due to the size and nuances of the region we cover and because of the investigative nature of our work.  

I find it hugely satisfying when assisting our clients to make informed decisions based on the comprehensive data and intelligence we provide. The clarity we bring through our unique insights helps clients navigate the often-ambiguous business landscape in jurisdictions where information isn’t necessarily available elsewhere. 

What makes our data so reliable?
The reliability of our data stems from the credibility of our sources. We obtain all our public record data directly from authoritative company registries in the 100 or so jurisdictions we cover, ensuring accuracy and authenticity. Unlike others, we don't rely on secondary sources. Our meticulous curation process, conducted by our team of analysts in Morocco, combined with cutting edge data engineering, ensures that we present accurate and reliable profiles.  

The extracted data is loaded into our entity database, where it undergoes an extensive curation process to clean, standardise, and map legal entities to relevant corporate structures and individuals.  

Subscribers of ClarifiedBy.com have access to this data online 24/7, or via API, and our database is constantly growing. Currently we have over 20 million profiles available across 74 countries in the Middle East & Africa. In a nutshell, we provide intelligently curated authoritative data at scale. 

What sets us apart from competitors in the market? 
While it is difficult to find direct competitors due to Diligencia’s offering being so niche, I believe we stand out for 3 key reasons: 

1. 1. We are specialists across the Middle East & Africa, and the information we provide often goes beyond what is available in open sources and from other vendors.
   2. Our curation methodology as described in the previous answer. We present all our standardised, verified profiles on ClarifiedBy.com, in both local language (e.g. Arabic, Farsi, French) and English, and map the connections between organisations and individuals.
   3. Our responsive service. Clients can ask us to update or build new profiles at any time, to upload and monitor a list of counterparties, to access my team of analysts to clarify any issues or request bespoke research services as and when required.

Can you expand on the corporate intelligence products your team is responsible for?
Absolutely, we offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to meet your investigative needs. Whether you require retrieval of corporate filings, detailed information on a specific entity, verification of historical court case details, or asset tracing, we have the expertise to assist you. 

We provide three tiers of Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reports, each tailored to different levels of investigative depth. These reports are designed to support a wide range of legal and business needs, including background checks, compliance with regulatory requirements, and risk assessment. Additionally, we collaborate closely with law firms, offering critical intelligence that supports their investigations, litigation strategies, and dispute resolution processes. 

For clients with unique or complex needs, our team is equipped to conduct bespoke research. This often involves deep-dive investigations into specific issues, industries, or regions, providing actionable insights that go beyond standard due diligence. Our bespoke services are highly adaptable, ensuring that we can address even the most challenging research requirements. 

What do you enjoy outside of work? 
As you can imagine, relocating to Dubai last year has kept me pretty busy recently; it’s an incredible place and I am enjoying getting to know it better. I love travelling and spending time with my family and friends, many of whom are scattered around the globe – in Algeria, the UK, the US and Canada to name a few.  I also like to keep fit and regularly go to the gym or horse riding.