With the rise of AI and robo-advisory firms, not to mention revelatory exposés such as the Panama and Paradise Papers, the surface area of financial fraud and corruption has expanded greatly. These developments necessitate a routine audit of your anti-fraud and corruption program. This audit should not only address the focus of such programs, but […]
Encourages Gapless Governance ESG is important in identifying and correcting governance gaps within a given investment since it allows gatekeepers to analyze factors of an investment through a different set of criteria. Gatekeepers shouldn’t rely solely on ESG to judge the health of an investment, they should use it as a tool in identifying any […]
You got to where you are today due to your experience. You were hired because of your experience. How then, will you make that experience count as you provide guidance to key contributors and decision-makers in your organization? As I’ve addressed in previous posts, developing a network of “Friends of Compliance” who engage in mutually […]
It’s an easy trap to fall into – becoming immersed in your department’s priorities can be like being engulfed by wheat, corn, etc. in an actual silo. The result is an inability to see and recognize the other resources harvested at the same “farm.” When resources collaborate though – they mitigate systemic risks. This is […]
Trying to do anything of significance unaided is difficult, let alone provide protection, productivity, and impact to an organization. It’s why the most successful compliance officers and departments rely on their relationships in and out of the companies they work for. Networking is a critical skill – one that will be as crucial to your […]
As I discussed in a previous post, the relationship a compliance officer has with the company will be different than the one an attorney has with the same company. Attorney communications are private and protected and focused on protecting the company as the client. A compliance officer’s communications and self-critical analysis of the company and […]
A frequently misused quotation, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” from William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, isn’t about a disdain for the legal department but is homage to their power. The character that utters the line, Dick the Butcher, knows he can’t get away with murder if the lawyers are watching. The […]
Think about the organization you work for today. How many employees know what you do? How many understand how critical compliance really is? Consider why that is the case and how it has impacted the company. As I’ve addressed in previous articles, the integration of compliance within the fabric of a company’s culture and process […]
Compliance work, with its varied and sometimes conflicting duties, can seem so Herculean at times that it calls to mind the Greek myth of the Hydra, a monster with many heads. Cut off one head and two more emerge. A compliance officer must have a thick skin, composure, and an ability to read people and […]
Mistakes happen in every discipline and industry of business – we are after all, human. However, the thought of mistakes is not a reality we, as compliance officers, want to experience. As individuals, we have a certain amount of control in preventing mistakes. With critical self-analysis, we can find a problem before someone else does. […]