National Compliance Officer Day

When people ask me why I chose to be a compliance and ethics officer, my answer is simple: because what we do changes the world.

For me, being a compliance professional is not about checking boxes or reacting only when issues evolve, it’s about building and sustaining a culture. At its core, compliance is about honesty, courage, and standing firm in the moment, even when it’s uncomfortable or difficult.

In today’s world, the role of a compliance officer feels more important than ever. Political rhetoric is at an all-time high, trust in institutions is declining, and there is a growing pushback against values we once thought were non-negotiable.

No budgets. No resources. Some of the worst issues our companies have to offer. Executives expecting miracles. Employees afraid to come to us. We are both the police and the shield, the answer everyone needs, and yet often given nothing to answer with.

I liken my career in compliance to the movie and international social staple known as “Le Diner En Blanc.”

After completing law school, I accepted a role in the Hearings group with the Nasdaq Stock Market. I did not have any previous experience or desire to enter the financial services industry, but was fascinated by the regulatory body and its goal to protect individual investor interests.

When I first stepped into this profession, my title was not “Chief Compliance Officer.” It was “Ethics Officer.” At Westinghouse, I was tasked with launching a program that, at the time, felt experimental: a global, enterprise-wide ethics initiative built not on rules, but on values. I traded in my career as a scientist for something untested, something new. And to my surprise, I had found what I was truly meant to do.