ESG/Social Responsibility

Q&A: Cigna’s approach to SEC human capital disclosure requirements

2021-07-16T13:41:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Julia Brncic, senior vice president, chief counsel and corporate secretary at Cigna, shares how the global health insurance company is complying with new human capital disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K.

CPE Webcast: The rise of ESG in third-party risk management

2021-07-15T14:00:00+01:00Provided by ProcessUnity

ESG and its role in third-party risk management have gained prominence this past year as the awareness for environmental and social issues continue to grow.

Survey: Emerging TPRM trends in anti-corruption

2021-07-07T20:12:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Kroll’s newest anti-corruption benchmarking report highlights current TPRM trends such as evolving challenges with enhanced due diligence, the rise of automation, the growing incorporation of ESG matters into compliance programs today, and more.

Survey: How does your ESG initiative measure up?

2021-07-06T13:32:00+01:00By Compliance Week

What are the biggest challenges you face in establishing and carrying out your ESG framework? Please share your insights with Compliance Week and Fulcrum.

Juneteenth acknowledgement a reminder that influence comes in many forms

2021-06-18T12:00:00+01:00By Dave Lefort

The designation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday shows the good that can come from when powerful people acknowledge difficult truths.

Activist investor win at ExxonMobil should be wake-up call for companies

2021-06-14T20:22:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

The growing scope and influence surrounding environmental activist campaigns promises to spill well beyond 2021. Recent developments should inspire boards to reassess how their company’s environmental initiatives align with long-term shareholder value.

SEC rulemaking list 2021: ESG, cyber-risk governance among highlights

2021-06-14T18:55:00+01:00By Aaron Nicodemus

The SEC’s spring 2021 rulemaking list is brimming with proposed regulations that would enhance ESG-related disclosures for public companies in areas like climate change, board diversity, human capital management, and cyber-security risk governance.

Embracing employee activism is good for business

2021-06-01T12:03:00+01:00By Aaron Nicodemus

The benefits of being perceived as a company that values employee input might outweigh the drawbacks, experts believe.

ESG materiality, disclosures spur opposing views at SEC

2021-05-26T14:30:00+01:00By Aaron Nicodemus

The SEC has taken numerous steps indicating its intention to require public companies to disclose ESG risks, but the question of how such disclosures will work in practice is still very much unanswered.

Chapter 5: Volkswagen’s path to winning back trust

2021-05-20T13:00:00+01:00By Aly McDevitt

Its monitorship now complete, Volkswagen’s new focus is to rebuild its reputation among its customer base. It’s a long process, says Board Member Hiltrud Werner, one supported by a shift in strategy.

Chapter 4: Tangible measures of cultural progress at Volkswagen

2021-05-20T13:00:00+01:00By Aly McDevitt

At the end of the day, how does an organization measure the effectiveness of company-wide cultural initiatives? Volkswagen has answers, utilizing perception workshops, mood barometers, and new diversity and inclusion initiatives as part of its culture rebuild post-Dieselgate.

Compliance ‘well-situated’ to handle increasing ESG scrutiny

2021-05-19T15:30:00+01:00By Aaron Nicodemus

An expert panel at CW’s 2021 National Conference agreed that compliance is uniquely positioned to help companies in their ESG initiatives. The CCO and chief sustainability officer at FedEx share how this may look in practice.

Chapter 3: VW operationalizes its Dieselgate monitorship

2021-05-19T13:00:00+01:00By Aly McDevitt

A revamped code of conduct and the Together4Integrity campaign stood out as significant milestones for Hiltrud Werner & Co. as Volkswagen began to embrace its Dieselgate monitorship as a way to improve company culture.

German supply chain draft legislation expected to have far-reaching effect

2021-05-18T17:26:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Companies of a certain size with ties to Germany must soon establish robust due diligence procedures to prevent human rights and environmental abuses both within the course of their own business activities and within their global supply chains.

Chapter 2: Volkswagen monitorship falls in line under Hiltrud Werner

2021-05-18T13:00:00+01:00By Aly McDevitt

While Larry Thompson assembled his team for the Dieselgate monitorship, Volkswagen countered with appointments of its own, including Hiltrud Werner as head of integrity and legal affairs. Their relationship would determine the success of the monitorship going forward.

Chapter 1: Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal exposed; enter Larry Thompson

2021-05-17T13:00:00+01:00By Aly McDevitt

The Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal wasn’t the work of one executive who thought to install illicit software into diesel motor vehicles. It was born from a “chain of errors that was never broken,” forming the basis for one of the largest and most high-profile corporate compliance monitorships in history.

CW presents: ‘Coming Clean: Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal and compliance monitorship’

2021-05-17T13:00:00+01:00By Dave Lefort

Volkswagen’s recently concluded three-year monitorship is chronicled in CW’s latest in-depth case study, which spares no detail in following the world’s largest automaker’s comeback from its biggest mistake.

Cooperation key to compliance’s role in advancing diversity & inclusion

2021-05-13T19:24:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

A panel of DE&I experts shared valuable tips on how chief ethics and compliance officers can work collaboratively with human resources to address workplace culture issues at CW’s 2021 National Conference.

James Comey: Lessons from Enron era will ‘become real again’

2021-05-11T20:17:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Former FBI Director James Comey kicked off Compliance Week’s 16th annual National Conference on Tuesday by speaking candidly about a variety of risk and compliance matters, including the importance of a strong ethical culture in the coming post-pandemic “boom times.”

Tenneco’s dedication to core values lands it Compliance Program of the Year

2021-05-11T16:00:00+01:00By Aly McDevitt

Tenneco’s revamp of its core values, coupled with its dedication to employee engagement during the coronavirus pandemic, earned it the honor of Compliance Program of the Year at CW’s 2021 Excellence in Compliance Awards.

Elevating compliance key for financial services, says former HSBC head

2021-05-07T15:14:00+01:00By James Thomas, International Compliance Association

John Flint, former group chief executive at HSBC, considered the progress compliance has made over the last 20 years and the strides the profession must continue to make as part of a keynote at the ICA’s 2021 BIG Compliance Festival.

CPE Webcast: Responsible sourcing: Mitigate ESG risks in your supply chain

2021-04-28T11:00:00+01:00Provided by Genpact

As customer expectations for transparency and ethical approach to business soar, companies that aren’t addressing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact of their organizations will get left behind. And that applies to who they work with too.

e-Book: ESG initiatives a top priority for SEC, CFTC

2021-04-27T18:45:00+01:00Provided by Refinitiv

Companies would be wise to start evaluating their environmental, social, and governance practices under the new presidential regime, especially with confirmation the Securities and Exchange Commission is planning to increase its expectations of public companies to assess and disclose climate-related risks.

Compliance involvement crucial to consistent ESG disclosures, SEC says

2021-04-15T20:34:00+01:00By Aaron Nicodemus

SEC examiners are focusing on whether registered firms’ ESG disclosures align with their investment practices.

Ask a diversity officer: Creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion program

2021-04-06T13:00:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

We asked seven prominent diversity leaders across a multitude of industries to share one key message or words of advice for other companies as it relates to creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion program.

More than a fad: The rise of the chief diversity officer

2021-04-06T13:00:00+01:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Protests calling for social justice over the last year have led to more companies appointing diversity, equity, and inclusion officers. The critical role the position plays alongside compliance cannot be overstated, writes Jaclyn Jaeger.

CFTC joins SEC in climate risk push

2021-03-18T18:13:00+00:00By Kyle Brasseur

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced the formation of a “Climate Risk Unit” to support the agency’s efforts to determine the role of derivatives in addressing climate-related risks.

Study: Racial diversity still lacking among Russell 3000 board members

2021-03-15T18:44:00+00:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

A new board diversity report by BoardProspects reveals companies in the Russell 3000 are at a major inflection point regarding racial equality on their boards, but most (60 percent) still have no Black board members.

Four ways you can support diversity and inclusion at your company

2021-03-10T16:51:00+00:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Diversity and inclusion leaders from Procter & Gamble and The Hartford share key elements for successfully achieving and sustaining a work environment that respects and fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion.

On International Women’s Day, we should ‘Choose to Challenge’

2021-03-08T15:10:00+00:00By Aly McDevitt

International Women’s Day isn’t just about celebrating women. It’s also about challenging norms. As such, CW’s Aly McDevitt challenges you to read this piece without flinching.

SEC task force will scrutinize climate and ESG disclosures

2021-03-05T20:11:00+00:00By Aaron Nicodemus

OK, OK, Securities and Exchange Commission. We get the message. Climate and ESG-related disclosures will be under increased scrutiny in 2021.

How audit can support increased ESG mandates

2021-03-04T17:11:00+00:00By Maria L. Murphy

The Center for Audit Quality and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants released a new roadmap that provides tools for independent auditors to support companies in achieving their ESG reporting goals.

CCOs, take note: ESG is having its moment

2021-03-01T18:22:00+00:00By Dave Lefort

The Biden administration is not so quietly making big moves in the area of ESG regulatory initiatives that should give CCOs the cachet to elevate these issues closer to the top of the priority list at their organizations.

Video: SEC on right path with climate disclosures; alleged privacy lapses at Amazon troubling

2021-02-25T22:39:00+00:00By Compliance Week

Aaron Nicodemus applauds the SEC for taking steps to clarify how companies should disclose economic risks posed by climate change, while Dave Lefort is critical of alleged lapses in data security at Amazon.

SEC takes first step toward new framework for climate-related disclosures

2021-02-24T21:03:00+00:00By Aaron Nicodemus

If there were any doubts the SEC under the Biden administration will increase its expectations of public companies to assess and disclose climate change-related risks, they were laid to rest Wednesday.

Best practices for navigating political discussions among coworkers

2021-02-23T15:32:00+00:00By Amii Barnard-Bahn

It’s not realistic to outright ban talk of politics with coworkers, but in today’s polarized climate it’s smart to set policies and educate employees about lines that should not be crossed.

Murphy Oil, Marathon Oil ESG incentives a positive step for oil industry

2021-02-16T20:44:00+00:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

The willingness of Murphy Oil and Marathon Oil to adjust their executive compensation frameworks, in part, to better align with their environmental targets is a rarity in the oil and gas industry and deserving of credit, writes Jaclyn Jaeger.

‘The Empathetic Workplace’ can help you navigate hard conversations

2021-02-16T15:12:00+00:00By Aly McDevitt

Aly McDevitt reviews “The Empathetic Workplace” by Katharine Manning, a practical guide that offers an eye-opening look into how employers should use empathy and soft skills to respond to employees in crisis.

Video: Wirecard’s failings back in spotlight

2021-02-11T21:40:00+00:00By Compliance Week

Jaclyn Jaeger lauds two oil companies for raising the bar on ESG commitment in the industry, while Dave Lefort assesses new developments in the Wirecard saga that point to greater failures in the firm’s internal controls.

Companies not reporting ESG initiatives are in the minority

2021-02-10T21:50:00+00:00By Aaron Nicodemus

Several reports highlight the growing trend of companies recognizing the value of aligning their business models with ESG concerns, acceding to the demands of shareholders, activists, the market, and the public.

Video: What took Facebook so long to name a CCO?

2021-02-04T21:41:00+00:00By Compliance Week

Aly McDevitt gives props to Abercrombie & Fitch and its chief ethics and compliance officer for providing an example of marrying values to work, while Dave Lefort wonders aloud why Facebook is just now naming its first-ever CCO.

New SEC senior advisor will specialize in climate change, ESG

2021-02-01T21:34:00+00:00By Aaron Nicodemus

The acting chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission has created a new senior policy advisor position on climate change and ESG, another signal the agency will prioritize both areas under a Biden administration.

Incoming IIA chief Anthony Pugliese to prioritize technology, D&I

2021-02-01T14:00:00+00:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Compliance Week caught up with Anthony Pugliese, the incoming president and chief executive officer of the Institute of Internal Auditors, to discuss his plans for the future of the IIA and the internal audit profession at large.

EPA’s toxic love affair with high-polluting industries needs to end

2021-01-13T21:33:00+00:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

A last-minute rule change by the EPA tucked into the Federal Register without a public comment period is the culmination of a years-long chumminess with high-polluting industries that can’t end soon enough, writes Jaclyn Jaeger.

The roles of HR and compliance in driving diversity & inclusion

2021-01-11T21:54:00+00:00By Deborah O’Connor, International Compliance Association

If HR drives diversity and inclusion strategies, the compliance function should play an important part in overseeing related changes in organizational behavior and practices.

Companies don’t get credit for bailing on Trump in Capitol attack aftermath

2021-01-11T21:26:00+00:00By Aaron Nicodemus

It’s shameful that it took searing images of rioters looting the Capitol building for some corporations to act on the danger President Donald Trump has posed to the country all along, writes Aaron Nicodemus.

Video: Apple ties exec bonuses to ESG; Twitter complicit in D.C. riot

2021-01-07T22:33:00+00:00By Compliance Week

In our first Nailed It or Failed It of 2021, Aly McDevitt praises Apple’s decision to link executive bonuses to the company’s values, while Dave Lefort delivers a somber message on Twitter and social media’s role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Poll: More companies linking ESG initiatives to executive incentive plans

2020-12-17T17:02:00+00:00By Jaclyn Jaeger

Current events have significantly accelerated the need for companies around the world to link ESG initiatives to their executive incentive plans, according to a recent poll conducted by Willis Towers Watson.

Survey: Remote work poses different challenges for men and women

2020-12-16T16:49:00+00:00By Aly McDevitt

A CW survey finds male and female compliance practitioners are processing the pressure points of the pandemic differently, and that fully remote work is leading to a permanently changed future for post-pandemic work schedules.

Women in compliance: Be unapologetic about moving up … but send the elevator back down

2020-12-16T16:36:00+00:00By Julie DiMauro

Over the course of reading two books, Julie DiMauro got some important tips and reminders about taking risks, creating success, and being cognizant of those women following in our career footsteps.

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ESG/Social Responsibility