Chief among Norm Ashkenas’ priorities is positioning compliance as a strategic adviser, supporting those leading this global expansion in a complex financial services world. He stresses that compliance puts a huge effort into ensuring that it is not seen as a back-office function.
Ruth Prickett
Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, for many years before relaunching and editing Audit & Risk magazine for the Chartered IIA. She has written for a wide range of specialist business titles and drafted white papers and reports for clients including HSBC and Vodafone.
Posted inEurope
Prada cleans up supply chain with zero tolerance for compliance failings
Luxury fashion brand Prada has terminated contracts with over 200 suppliers in the past five years after a focused “zero tolerance” supply chain audit aimed at identifying compliance failings.
Posted inEurope
‘Significant’ rule changes for EU alternative investment funds set for April 16
Significant changes to rules for EU alternative investment fund managers come into force on April 16, but most still have work to do to be compliant, experts warn.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
French investigators target anticompetitive practices in largest accounting firms
Major accountancy firms in France are under investigation for anti-competitive practices. The French competition watchdog embarked on a series of “unannounced inspections” and removed documents relating to audit and reporting on Jan. 13.
Posted inRisk Management
Experts warn of increased global AML risks as criminals seek to launder Venezuelan money
The U.S. action to remove President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and reopen access to the country’s oil reserves will have a significant impact on geopolitics and organized crime activities – creating new challenges for global compliance teams.
Posted inEthics & Culture
U.K. Employment Rights Act will lead to rise in tribunal claims
The number of U.K. employment tribunal cases could rise following reforms in the Employment Rights Act 2025. Several changes take effect this year, including shorter unfair dismissal qualifying periods, day-one worker rights, stronger protections for pregnant women, and an end to exploitative contracts.
Posted inFinancial Services
U.K. government scraps long-awaited audit reforms to prioritize growth
Long-awaited reforms to the U.K. audit regime have been “scrapped” from the government’s legislative plans. The decision has led to an outburst of disappointment and frustration from audit bodies and pension funds that argued the reforms would increase trust in companies and support growth.
Posted inEurope
Venezuela military intervention highlights critical resources as a new compliance hotspot
President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela has sent a message across the world that he regards resources as critical to U.S. national security and will act to secure them. In Venezuela, this primarily means crude oil reserves. However, oil is not the only valuable resource in the U.S. sights.
Posted inEurope
EU extends carbon border tax to 180 downstream products and targets ‘loopholes’
The EU is extending its ground-breaking carbon border adjustment mechanism, which imposes carbon pricing on raw materials imported from outside the EU, to 180 downstream products made from those materials.
Posted inFinancial Services
EU vows to reform financial single market rules to unlock growth and boost investment
Financial markets thrive on consistent rules across the widest markets. This is the thinking behind the European Commission’s package of measures intended to simplify and streamline the zone’s single market for financial services.
