In the aftermath of changes to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and in the face of an unforgiving regulatory environment, more companies increasingly see the sense in splitting the compliance officer and general counsel jobs.
According to a recent survey, Compliance and Ethics Program Environment Report, conducted by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and NYSE Governance Services, 56 percent of 249 compliance and ethics professionals polled said the person with overall responsibility for the compliance and ethics program holds the job title of compliance and ethics officer. Only 8 percent of respondents said overall responsibility for the compliance and ethics program was assigned to the general counsel or chief legal officer.
