Welcome to “Compliance Tip of the Day,” the podcast that brings you daily insights and practical advice on navigating the ever-evolving landscape of compliance and regulatory requirements. Whether you’re a seasoned compliance professional or just starting your journey, our goal is to provide you with bite-sized, actionable tips to help you stay ahead in your compliance efforts. Join us as we explore the latest industry trends, share best practices, and demystify complex compliance issues to keep your organization on the right side of the law. Tune in daily for your dose of compliance wisdom, and let’s make compliance a little less daunting, one tip at a time.
Internal controls outside the US present a different set of challenges for compliance professionals.
For more information on this topic, refer to The Compliance Handbook: A Guide to Operationalizing Your Compliance Program, 6th edition, recently released by LexisNexis. It is available here.
Welcome to the Daily Compliance News. Each day, Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, brings you compliance-related stories to start your day. Sit back, enjoy a cup of morning coffee, and listen in to the Daily Compliance News—all from the Compliance Podcast Network. Each day, we consider four stories from the business world: compliance, ethics, risk management, leadership, and general interest, all of which are relevant to the compliance professional.
Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on the award-winning Creativity and Compliance. Ronnie’s company, Learnings and Entertainment, leverages the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and applies them to important topics related to compliance and ethics. It’s not just about being funny. It’s about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible and engaging.
In this episode, Tom and Ronnie discuss the balance between evidencing compliance training and ensuring its effectiveness through employee engagement. Ronnie expresses concerns about the focus on measurement to the detriment of engagement. He emphasizes the need for training that is engaging, short, and relevant to influence behavior and mitigate risk truly. They suggest approaches to create a compliance program that combines engagement with measurement, including regular and interesting communications, as well as more targeted training. The podcast also explores how to make a compliance calendar and the importance of adjusting content to reflect current events and practical considerations.
Compliance Confessions – inspired by “Mean Tweets,” these 90-second commercials address misconceptions and excuses to promote a speak up culture and the E&C team as positive and helpful.
E&C Training Jams – a soulful singer banters with ethics & compliance explaining policies, sharing examples, and debunking excuses.
Tales from the Hotline– Real speak-up-themed stories about workplace behavior gone wrong.
Workplace Tonight Show!– E&C meets SNL Weekend Update, explaining corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts– A variety of short, customizable, music and multimedia, quick-hitter “commercials” promoting integrity, compliance, speaking up, and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
Custom Live & Digital Programing– Custom creative programming that balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery. After all, you can’t bore people into learning.
What is the role of Artificial Intelligence in compliance? What about Machine Learning? Are you using ChatGPT? These questions are just three of the many we will explore in this cutting-edge podcast series, Compliance and AI, hosted by Tom Fox, the award-winning Voice of Compliance. In this episode, Tom is joined by Vinay Goel, co-founder of Wald.ai.
They discuss Goel’s professional background, his journey to founding his company, Wald.ai, and the transformative impact of AI, particularly following the launch of ChatGPT. Goel shares insights into the compliance challenges posed by AI, the importance of secure AI usage, and how businesses can strike a balance between productivity and data protection. They also delve into democratizing workplace data through AI and the importance of privacy and identity protection in AI solutions. Goel offers practical advice for companies seeking to adopt AI responsibly, discussing the future of AI in the business world.
The business world is standing at a significant crossroads. As we navigate the increasing volatility of today’s corporate environment, one challenge looms larger than ever: ensuring the continuity and robustness of our leadership pipelines. A recent article by Russell Reynolds Associates underscores this imminent crisis, highlighting a stark reality: organizations could soon experience a severe deficit in their C-suite leadership unless immediate, strategic actions are taken. Compliance professionals, whose roles often intersect with strategic management and governance, must fully grasp the implications of this scenario and engage proactively.
Let’s start with some eye-opening numbers. According to Russell Reynolds Associates’ Global Leadership Monitor, a staggering 71% of next-generation C-suite leaders are contemplating career moves outside their current employers. This figure, which represents a significant 14 percentage point increase in turnover intentions over just two years, signals profound dissatisfaction and disengagement among future executives. The primary motivators driving these departures include aspirations for career advancement (47%), the quest for different leadership styles (36%), thedesire for new responsibilities (35%), and the pursuit of a different company culture (30%).
Understanding these underlying drivers is critical for compliance leaders. A significant cause of this dissatisfaction lies in the absence or inadequacy of succession planning. Alarmingly, only 25% of next-generation executives consider their organization’s succession strategies to be successful. Even those included in these succession plans express skepticism, with just 36% believing the process is transparent. As compliance professionals well understand, transparency and clear communication are essential to building trust and fostering a culture of compliance.
To address this deficiency, organizations must commit to developing articulated and transparent succession processes. Best-in-class companies understand which roles are crucial for the future, the competencies needed, and the talent available both internally and externally. They utilize data-driven strategies, including external benchmarking and psychometric assessments, to ensure the identification of robust and unbiased talent. These processes aren’t merely beneficial; they are essential in mitigating compliance risks associated with leadership voids and the subsequent disruptions they can cause.
Additionally, differentiated and meaningful leadership development training emerges as a clear priority. Although 67% of future leaders have the explicit goal of ascending to the C-suite, only half report having access to developmental opportunities that adequately prepare them for this role. Coaching and mentoring are among the most impactful development activities, yet only 45% receive coaching, and a mere 27% benefit from mentoring.
Compliance officers can champion developmental programs by advocating for structured, ongoing leadership training that is linked to career paths. This structured approach not only prepares leaders to manage compliance effectively but also ensures these future executives deeply embed compliance principles within their decision-making frameworks. Tailored training programs that incorporate continuous learning, mentoring, and coaching will foster leaders who prioritize compliance as a vital component of corporate success.
Another crucial dimension addressed by Russell Reynolds Associates is the significant disconnect in perceptions of organizational culture. Just 36% of next-generation leaders feel their senior teams model appropriate behaviors. This statistic is troubling because when leadership falls short on culture, trust deteriorates. Compliance practitioners understand all too well the critical linkage between culture and compliance effectiveness, as leaders who fail to exemplify compliance values see repercussions ripple across the organization, increasing compliance risks and weakening controls.
Effective compliance culture begins at the top. Organizations must ensure that senior executives visibly demonstrate behaviors that align with the declared organizational values, ethics, and compliance standards. Regular measurement and assessment of culture alignment are crucial. Employee surveys, comprehensive cultural audits, and transparent feedback loops are tools that compliance professionals can leverage to ensure that leadership behaviors resonate with and reinforce the compliance narrative.
The memorandum also highlights best practices from organizations that have effectively navigated these challenges. They utilize forward-looking, innovative approaches to leadership development. These organizations do not wait passively for vacancies to emerge but actively prepare potential leaders well in advance with targeted and bespoke training plans designed around clear, career-oriented goals and strategic organizational needs.
Transparency also plays an indispensable role in successful leadership transitions. Organizations excelling in succession planning communicate clearly and frequently about their investment in high-potential talent, reducing internal friction and competition while enhancing motivation and retention. Compliance officers, with their emphasis on clear policies and open dialogue, are ideally positioned to advocate for improved transparency and communication around these strategic initiatives.
Ultimately, proactive culture management and transformation must be an ongoing process. Effective companies invest time and resources in understanding their current culture, defining the desired future state, and developing concrete plans to transition from one to the other. For compliance professionals, this presents an opportunity to integrate compliance and ethical considerations deeply into organizational change initiatives, ensuring that compliance remains central to future organizational transformations.
In conclusion, the looming C-suite succession crisis highlighted by Russell Reynolds Associates’ research demands urgent and focused responses from organizations. Compliance professionals can and should play a strategic role in addressing this challenge. By championing transparent succession planning, structured developmental opportunities, culture alignment, and proactive organizational engagement, compliance leaders can help their organizations avoid leadership pitfalls and navigate the complexities of today’s rapidly evolving business environment. In doing so, they not only safeguard their companies from potential compliance risks but also strengthen overall corporate resilience, positioning their organizations for sustainable, compliant growth well into the future.
The common theme of today’s episode is our guests—we will be speaking with two distinguished law enforcement veterans about different matters. More specifically, in our initial Spotlight segment, we’ll be having a chat with risk management specialist and former Royal Hong Kong Police Force alumnus Steve Vickers about political risk across the Asia-Pacific region.
Following that, we have a discussion with Dubai-based Mark Nuttall on how his career in law enforcement has worthwhile lessons for the compliance profession.
Steve Vickers
Steve Vickers is the founder and CEO of Steve Vickers & Associates—a specialist risk and security consultancy with a presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and London.
As an expert in resolving kidnapping and product extortion cases, he also draws upon an unrivaled network of contacts and information sources to spearhead a wide range of business risk mitigation services.
Steve was previously the president and CEO of International Risk, which is now part of FTI Consulting. Before establishing SVA, Steve set up and ran International Risk Limited, with seven offices across Asia. He sold the company to FTI Consulting Inc., a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, in 2006. He remained with the company as CEO and subsequently as chairman through a four-and-a-half-year earn-out period.
Much earlier, he spent 18 years with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, where he commanded its criminal intelligence bureau. His duties included operational command of the Intelligence Bureau and its covert resources, tactical and strategic operations against triad and organized crime groups, risk assessments, and operational control of “declared” kidnapping incidents and product contamination issues. He achieved the rank of senior superintendent before opting to leave the service to join the private sector in the early 1990s.
Mark Nuttall
Mark Nuttall is an executive and geopolitical advisor, as well as a strategic deal facilitator, with over 25 years of experience in strategic leadership, risk management, and business development. He has held roles at London’s famed Metropolitan Police Service, Thomson Reuters, INTERPOL, and Hill and Associates. He founded the Faustus Consultancy and The Iron Club.
Mark offers his executive advisory services, working across the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Europe to drive growth, optimize operations, facilitate deals, and enhance governance. Especially when it comes to risk management and governance, he has implemented plans focused on risk mitigation, resilience, and improving governance standards. He has also managed complex investigations and multi-agency operations.
In terms of subject matter expertise, Mark has delivered advisory services on governance, compliance, risk reduction, finance, leadership, geopolitics, anti-money laundering (AML), resilience, security, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Furthermore, he has delivered keynote speeches and provided mentorship to C-suite and geopolitical audiences.
Discussion:
Today’s podcast begins with a spotlight conversation between Steve and Regulatory Ramblings host Ajay Shamdasani, discussing regional threats to expect in 2025. The uncertainty in the ongoing trade war between the US and China looms large across the Asia-Pacific region and the world more broadly. The planet is watching with bated breath to see how the proverbial running gun battle of heated American rhetoric and increased tariffs will impact the global macroeconomic picture.
Similarly, the specter of whether Beijing will attempt to reunify with Taiwan by force. With the current US administration’s inclination to not get bogged down in the wars of others, as exemplified by President Donald J. Trump’s lackluster attitude towards Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the likelihood of a conflict in the South China Sea is likely greater than it has been in years.
Steve shares his thoughts on the emerging geopolitical risks looming for the Asia-Pacific region for the remainder of 2025, as well as how such threats might affect the corporate and financial sectors in regional hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore. He also comments on what can be done to safeguard against such dangers, emphasizing the importance of maintaining perpetual vigilance and making informed, real-time decisions based on the most current available information.
We then shift to a discussion with Mark. Following his first appearance on Regulatory Ramblings (episode #68), Mark elaborates on his rough-and-tumble background growing up in Northern England before sharing with us the lessons he learned during his law enforcement career with the London Police and how some of these lessons also apply to the world of compliance.
Mark discusses the desire to protect others, which drove him to become a police officer, especially after having been on the wrong side of the law in his youth. He also comments on how being with the London Metropolitan Police—the police force that many around the world have modeled themselves after since the 19th century—was crucial to helping him become the success he is today in serving his clients, as what he learned on the force raised his level of professionalism.
Mark is pragmatic about his service and traditional in his approach to lived experience; hence, he will deal with his encounters on his deathbed.
Still, he believes that even within law enforcement, there is room for grace and forgiveness because too many people end up in dire circumstances and need a second chance to get their lives together. In that vein, he believes there is room for leniency in law enforcement.
Regulatory Ramblings podcasts is brought to you by The University of Hong Kong—Reg/Tech Lab, HKU-SCF Fintech Academy, Asia Global Institute, and HKU-edX Professional Certificate in Fintech, with support from the HKU Faculty of Law.
Steve Vickers is the founder and CEO of Steve Vickers & Associates—a specialist risk and security consultancy with a presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and London.
