About

Bluff Intelligence is a Japan-headquartered corporate intelligence firm that provides clients with insights and intelligence across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond to inform their decision making. From political risk, strategic intelligence and due diligence to asset tracing, security assessments and regulatory and disputes-focused investigations, meticulous open-source research and the collection of intelligence from an extensive network of human sources lie at the heart of our operations.

Bluff Intelligence is led by Ben Rowse, a veteran investigations and intelligence professional with over 26 years of industry experience living and working in the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Japan, Ben provides clients with actionable intelligence to enable them to navigate the discrete political and commercial challenges they encounter when doing business in the region. He has particular expertise in geopolitical risk and complex intelligence-led investigations involving export controls, corruption and organised crime.

Prior to founding Bluff Intelligence, Ben established and led the Asia-Pacific Practice of Nardello & Co., a US-headquartered investigations firm. In his 12-year capacity as regional head and a partner of the firm, he oversaw its operations across the region from offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to joining Nardello & Co., he was a director in Deloitte’s China forensic practice in Hong Kong, where he founded and led its Greater China-focused business intelligence team. This was preceded by several years working for Kroll Asia.

Ben began his career in Asia-Pacific as a regional correspondent for Agence France-Presse, a role that included several years as Deputy Bureau Chief in Hanoi covering Vietnam and Laos. His reporting assignments included the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, the 2003 Gulf War, and the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster. Previously, he worked for an international human rights organisation in London.

Ben, a graduate of the University of Exeter (UK) with a BA in politics, is a regular speaker at investigation-related events and author of political risk-focused thought leadership articles. He has experience as an expert witness, having testified at the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

For four consecutive years between 2020 and 2023 Ben was recognised by Chambers and Partners as one of the top investigators in the Asia-Pacific region.