From the Archive

Netherlands-based Aegon, a multinational life insurance, pensions and asset management company, has appointed Allegra van Hövell-Patrizi as chief risk officer and member of the management board, effective Jan. 1, 2016. van Hövell-Patrizi’s appointment is subject to regulatory approval. More inside.

Wedbush Securities, a privately held financial services investment firm, has named James Kearney as chief risk officer. Kearney, who previously was senior vice president of risk management at the firm, is a seasoned veteran with over 27 years of experience in the financial industry. More inside.

Image: Monday’s news of the merger between Pfizer and Allergan, one of the largest corporate deals ever, is the high-water market for a huge year of M&A activity. That M&A craze poses huge challenges to compliance officers for third-party risk, from IT systems to count third parties (harder than you think) to crafting strong policies for sprawling global enterprises. Inside, editor Matt Kelly examines some of those headaches—none with easy solutions.

Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents to improve their competitive position in the marketplace, has hired Elyce Schweitzer as regulatory compliance officer. As regulatory compliance officer, Schwuitzer provides guidance on regulatory requirements for compliance with applicable title insurance laws, while spearheading all relevant research and analysis. More inside.

Philip Harris, currently a partner at the law firm of Jenner & Block, LLP, has been appointed general counsel for Northwestern University, effective Jan. 1, 2016. He will succeed Thomas Cline, who is retiring after 27 years at the University. Details inside.

Image: By sad coincidence, Compliance Week held its first-ever conference in Dubai earlier this week, and the conversation inevitably turned to sanctions, money-laundering, and terrorism funding—just days after 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks. Compliance officers must pay attention to those issues like never before, editor Matt Kelly says, and little of what we must do to fight the threat will be easy. More of his thoughts inside.

Contractor Management Services, a provider of compliance software and payment settlement services for companies that use independent contractors, has appointed Rebecca Collins as general counsel and chief compliance officer.

United Launch Alliance (ULA),  a launch services provider, has named Thomas Tshudy as general counsel. Tshudy will replace Kevin MacCary, who announced his retirement earlier this year after serving in that role since the company began in 2006.

The Dodd-Frank Act brims with new disclosure demands regarding executive compensation. Slowly but surely—emphasis on slowly—the SEC has been issuing rules on clawbacks, pay for performance, and the dreaded pay ratio rule. This week, we look at those three measures and what companies have done so far to comply with them. And thanks to that slow pace, some companies have even begun disclosure already.

The full consequences of Volkswagen’s “emissions evasion” scandal are just starting to be understood. The governance failures that led to the misconduct, however, are not new. Pressure from the chief executive, ineffective directors, a workforce that does not take compliance seriously; we have heard all that before. This week, columnist Rick Steinberg reviews the VW scandal so far, and what lessons others can take from it.