Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act should prompt due diligence reassessment
All companies with a global footprint should be reevaluating their supply chain due diligence and documentation practices to show the absence of forced labor in the wake of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act taking effect.
Survey: Tell us about your M&A compliance
Take part in this 3-minute survey to help benchmark your mergers and acquisitions pain points against those of your peers. One lucky respondent will win a $200 Amazon gift card for completing the survey.
Historic EY fine latest by-product of KPMG cheating scandal
It is impossible to ignore the SEC’s $100 million fine against EY for employee exam cheating is double the amount the regulator penalized KPMG for its separate cheating scandal. Especially since the latter resolution appears to have served as a starting point for the SEC’s ruling on the former.
EY fined record $100M for employee cheating scandal
Ernst & Young will pay $100 million after admitting to SEC charges addressing systematic cheating among its accounting professionals on CPA license exams over four years. The fine is the largest the agency has ever imposed against an audit firm.
CCO skepticism toward DOJ compliance certifications justified
Chief compliance officer concerns regarding the Department of Justice’s new certification policy have not been alleviated by the agency’s inconsistent communication regarding the requirement.
Former Rite Aid compliance exec fined $305K over insider trading case
A former Rite Aid compliance executive agreed to pay a civil penalty of $305,129 to resolve SEC insider trading charges regarding sale of company stock.
USAA whistleblowers want to be heard—and now
Jaclyn Jaeger reflects on feedback received from former and current USAA employees following her three-part series detailing alleged violations of law and mismanaged compliance culture at the financial services giant.
July 26 | How to align E&C with ESG: A roadmap
As companies move toward transparency and walking the talk by aligning corporate culture to stated ESG values, the historical function of ethics and compliance rolls up naturally to support these efforts.
SEC acting chief accountant: Ethical culture key to auditor independence
Paul Munter, acting chief accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission, released a statement acknowledging recurring issues agency staff have observed regarding auditor independence consultations.
Indictment: Ex-CCO charged with wire fraud over misappropriated funds
Jennifer Campbell, a former chief compliance officer at an unnamed investment adviser in Buffalo, N.Y., faces criminal and civil charges for allegedly misappropriating approximately $500,000 in funds from client accounts.
Real talk: How Best Buy manages challenges of DEI goals
Two years into its diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan, Best Buy leaders attended Compliance Week’s National Conference to discuss—in a refreshingly blunt manner—the retailer’s learnings.
Law firm Dechert, SFO criticized in ENRC case ruling
A High Court judge found the U.K. Serious Fraud Office induced a lawyer from Dechert acting for Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. to provide it with privileged and unauthorized information.
Compliance leadership panel: Current state, future trends, more
Four senior compliance practitioners shared their insights on maintaining an ethical culture, embracing data analytics, determining compliance’s role in measuring ESG metrics, and more as part of a panel discussion at Compliance Week’s National Conference.
Glencore fined $1B, placed under 3-year monitorship for FCPA violations
Glencore International AG, one of the world’s largest commodity traders, will be placed under a three-year compliance monitorship and pay more than $1 billion to resolve multiple investigations into alleged bribes paid in several countries over more than a decade.
Ten highlights from Compliance Week 2022
Editor In Chief Kyle Brasseur recaps the moments that stood out to him most from Compliance Week’s first in-person event since 2019.
Carreyrou lauds whistleblowers’ roles in helping expose Theranos fraud
John Carreyrou, whose reporting exposed blood-testing company Theranos as a fraud, discussed the vital role lab director Adam Rosendorff and his other colleagues that came forward played as sources during a fireside chat at Compliance Week’s National Conference.
Carnival CECO Peter Anderson resigns
Peter Anderson, Carnival’s first chief ethics and compliance officer and a central figure in leading the cruise line giant through its environmental compliance monitorship, has resigned. Richard Brilliant, Carnival’s chief audit officer, will replace Anderson in the new role of chief risk and compliance officer.
Expert: Combating modern slavery starts with understanding the issue
Matthew Friedman, an expert on international human trafficking with more than 30 years of experience, discussed the importance of companies addressing modern slavery in their supply chains as part of a virtual fireside chat on the human factor of ESG at Compliance Week’s National Conference.
DOJ’s Kenneth Polite to CCOs: Tell me your compliance success stories
Kenneth Polite Jr., head of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and a former chief compliance officer, delivered a dynamic keynote address emphasizing the importance of empowering compliance to avoiding prosecution at Day 2 of Compliance Week’s National Conference.
‘Start with yourself’: Kenney inspires compliance officers to focus on wellbeing in CW2022 keynote
Caren Kenney, CEO and founder of Evolve Leadership, stressed to attendees the importance of taking care of themselves as much as looking after their businesses as part of her opening keynote at Compliance Week’s 2022 National Conference in Washington, D.C.
Compliance execs get candid on industry challenges at CW think tank
Fifteen high-level compliance executives discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by an ever-changing compliance landscape during a first-ever executive think tank session at Compliance Week’s 2022 National Conference in Washington, D.C.
Commitment to kindness earns Snap honor of Compliance Program of the Year
For Snap, kindness has long been a core value, but only last year did the company overhaul its code of conduct to thrust the term to the forefront of its internal communications. Snap was recognized as Compliance Program of the Year at the 2022 Excellence in Compliance Awards.
‘Trusted partner’ Kelly Maxwell of Dana-Farber named CCO of the Year
Kelly Maxwell can’t cure cancer, but she and her team do their part to help the rest of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute achieve that mission. For her work, Maxwell was named CCO of the Year at the 2022 Excellence in Compliance Awards.
From ‘Institutional Self-Regulation’: Slippery slope of bad habits
Tamar Frankel, honored for Lifetime Achievement in Compliance at the 2022 Excellence in Compliance Awards, authorized CW to share excerpts from her book “Institutional Self-Regulation.” The following is a passage from the book’s chapter on institutional subversive culture, ethics, power, and behavior.
From ‘Institutional Self-Regulation’: Role of culture
Tamar Frankel, honored for Lifetime Achievement in Compliance at the 2022 Excellence in Compliance Awards, authorized CW to share excerpts from her book “Institutional Self-Regulation.” The following is a passage from the book’s chapter on investigations to prevent violations of the law.
From ‘Institutional Self-Regulation’: Why compliance?
Tamar Frankel, honored for Lifetime Achievement in Compliance at the 2022 Excellence in Compliance Awards, authorized CW to share excerpts from her book “Institutional Self-Regulation.” The following is a passage from the book’s chapter on compliance, governance, and self-regulation.
Conviction, moral fortitude define Lifetime Achievement winner Tamar Frankel
Tamar Frankel’s 50-year career as a law professor at Boston University more than satisfies her being honored for Lifetime Achievement at the 2022 Excellence in Compliance Awards. Yet, to limit the scope of Frankel’s accomplishments to her academic career would be a massive oversight.
Q&A: Rising Star in Compliance Boon Kim Fam
Boon Kim Fam, legal director of compliance, Asia Pacific at clothing company PVH, discusses with Compliance Week how her cultural sensitivity, technical expertise, and sound international outlook have helped her navigate the global compliance field.
Q&A: Compliance Mentor of the Year Mary Shirley
Mary Shirley, head of culture of integrity and compliance education at Fresenius Medical Care, discusses with Compliance Week what mentorship means to her and who has helped her along the way.
FedEx’s social mission: Diversity drives better business
FedEx’s DEI strides—including becoming a minority-majority employee company in the U.S. for the first time in its history in fiscal year 2018—are not by accident. The company’s long history of hiring a diverse workforce and promoting from within is among the keys to its success.
Growth vs. green: FedEx’s environmental balancing act
When FedEx published its first Global Citizenship Report in 2008, its greenhouse gas emissions were already top of mind. Yet, the company has struggled to strike a balance between achieving year-over-year decreases in total emissions while it has expanded in the last decade-plus.
‘A marathon, not a sprint’: FedEx carbon-neutral pledge tests longtime ESG efforts
In March 2021, FedEx announced an audacious goal: to achieve carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040. How did the company develop this pledge, and how will it track its progress and hold itself accountable to intermediate goals?
FCA fines, bans director over unauthorized compliance duties
Thomas Ward, a former head of compliance at an investment management firm who once worked as a compliance inspector for a U.K. regulator, was fined 416,558 pounds (U.S. $513,000) and banned from working in the financial services sector following a tribunal ruling.
Desire for transparency launches FedEx on ESG journey
Since 2008, FedEx has produced detailed reports on its ESG initiatives. The company’s chief sustainability officer discusses the decision-making process behind the first report, determining materiality, and more in Part 1 of this four-part special report, published in partnership with the ICA.
Whistleblower to OCC: USAA had 400,000 undisclosed Military Lending Act violations
USAA Bank engaged in an estimated 400,000 violations of the Military Lending Act, a former director of compliance within the bank reported to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in documents seen by Compliance Week.
A look inside USAA’s ‘catastrophically mismanaged’ compliance culture
In exclusive interviews with Compliance Week, former USAA insiders describe a risk and compliance culture in which numerous individuals either were given the axe or quit because the problems were so endemic.
Whistleblower: USAA ‘actively lying to regulators for years’ regarding violations of law
Senior executives at USAA ignored warnings from compliance staff and consultants for years regarding violations of U.S. federal banking laws and hid from regulators the scope of the company’s illegal practices, a former USAA director of compliance turned whistleblower told Compliance Week.
Tips from a project management expert on avoiding failure
Research shows more than 60 percent of projects undertaken fail. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, considered the No. 1 project management expert in the world, shares steps to take to avoid contributing to this statistic.
FRC report findings suggest overhaul needed for Modern Slavery Act
The U.K. Modern Slavery Act has often been described as “world leading,” yet companies are still failing to meet requirements by providing a statement outlining what they are doing to prevent modern slavery in their businesses and supply chains.
Put principles to practice with ‘Bias Interrupted’
Legal scholar Joan Williams’s book delivers an avalanche of evidence-based research on structural biases in the workplace and teaches how to course correct broken systems over time by interrupting basic business functions now.
CW National 2022 Q&A: Todd Hartman on intersection of DEI and compliance
Todd Hartman, EVP, general counsel and chief risk officer at Best Buy, previews his panel titled, “The Intersection of DEI & Compliance & Ethics—Lessons Learned from Best Buy’s Journey,” at CW’s National Conference in Washington, D.C. from May 16-18.
Breaking the glass ceiling in ethics and compliance
Jane Levine, chief compliance officer at DailyPay, shares three suggestions for ensuring women are empowered within the ethics and compliance profession.
Experts: P&O Ferries’ exposure of U.K. law weaknesses sets dangerous precedent
P&O Ferries’ dismissal of 800 workers with immediate effect via prerecorded video before consulting unions or employees has united U.K. politicians of all parties to condemn the company. One problem: Its actions appear to be largely legal.
California judge strikes down state’s board diversity law
A California state superior court judge struck down a diversity mandate that ordered public companies in the state to have at least one minority board member by the end of 2021.
CW National 2022 Q&A: Charles Schwager on current state of compliance
Charles Schwager, chief compliance and ethics officer at Waste Management, previews his leadership panel titled, “The Current State of Compliance and What’s in Store for the Future,” at CW’s National Conference in Washington, D.C. from May 16-18.
Approved Activision Blizzard settlement with EEOC offers lessons for tech
A federal judge gave final approval to a settlement reached last year between Activision Blizzard and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding the video game company’s systemic culture of sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and retaliation.
How to prepare for SEC’s climate-related disclosure rule
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed climate-related disclosure rule would force companies that have been reluctant to initiate a self-examination of their environmental impact to do so, posthaste. Experts weigh in on where to start.
Ericsson mum on Iraq misconduct amid ‘comprehensive review’
Ericsson has launched a sweeping review into evidence it uncovered regarding misconduct in Iraq and the subsequent disclosure of those findings after the Department of Justice warned the Swedish telecom of a second breach of its 2019 deferred prosecution agreement.
CPE Webcast: Into the Ethicsverse: Closing cases in hyper speed
If you are not closing a large portion of your issues within the first 30 days, you may be working harder, not smarter. Plus, when cases are open too long, organizations can open themselves up to avoidable regulatory and legal risk.
‘Anti-Racist Leadership’ demystifies DEI for intentional leaders
Many business leaders wish to be better stewards of diversity, equity, and inclusion at their organizations. James and Krista White’s “Anti-Racist Leadership” debuts a rare playbook for instigating cultural transformation and making DEI an engine of business performance.