When you have operations in 100 countries and your legal department speaks at least 19 languages, just understanding what your risks are is no small feat—let alone getting everyone to agree on how to manage them.

Still, that’s the job for Gloria Santona, general counsel and corporate secretary for McDonald’s Corp.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...