Karen de Klerk FCA, CA(SA)
Partner
Karen is experienced in commercial litigation matters, including loss calculations,
professional negligence, and also specialises in fraud investigations and fraud risk mitigation.
Karen has 25 years’ experience as a forensic accountant and is also a founding member of Tempest. She worked for 10 years at KPMG (audit and forensic) before spending a year in industry at a telecoms business, returning to forensic accounting with Grant Thornton, where she worked for 6 years before setting up Tempest with Geoff and Caroline in 2013.
Karen carries out forensic accounting and investigation work. She has worked on numerous commercial disputes, specifically loss of profits, as well as professional negligence matters and fraud investigations.
Karen also holds a BTEC Level 7 Advanced Professional Certificate in Investigative Practice.
Outside of work, Karen has a keen interest in sport. She has completed several ultra-distance events, such as cycling Lands End to John O’Groats, running the Greenman ultra, Tour de Tirol, and Comrades marathon, as well as completing a number of Ironman triathlons. Karen also enjoys playing squash, racketball, and padel.
Karen currently offers her time as a voluntary Treasurer of a local cycling club. In 2024, she stepped down from her role as voluntary treasurer/finance director of Redland Green Tennis & Squash club after 20 years of service.
Please contact us for a copy of Karen’s full CV.
Examples of Experience
- Acted as expert to calculate the loss of profits at an abattoir as a consequence of alleged refrigeration failures.
- Acted as expert to calculate the loss of profits at a vegetable processing plant as a consequence of alleged refrigeration failures.
- Engaged as an advisor to provide accountancy advice on a warranty and indemnity claim in a sale and purchase agreement dispute in the solar power sector.
- Engaged to provide assistance to a claimant in an advisory capacity on the loss of profits suffered as a result of business interruption due to a part failure which caused a shutdown at a power station.
- Preparation of expert reports in respect of consequential losses arising from the mis-sale of Interest Rate Hedging Products (IRHP) and Tailored Business Loans.
- Engaged to produce an expert report on behalf of a firm of accountants accused of professional negligence as Reporting Accountants to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- Engaged to investigate the misuse of company funds by the chairman of the board of a manufacturing business, including appointment of family members in strategic positions in the company.
- Engaged as advisor to review bank statements to determine spend in respect of contesting a will on the grounds that it did not make reasonable financial provision.
- Engaged as advisor by a family member to review bank statements of a vulnerable elderly parent to analyse spending made by the person holding Power of Attorney on financial matters.
