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 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, or general interest for the compliance professional.
Welcome to the Hughes Hubbard Anti-Corruption & Internal Investigations Practice Group’s podcast, All Things Investigation.
In this podcast, Tom Fox is joined by Jan Dunin-Wasowicz and Jeff Nielson, International Sanctions & Export Controls Lawyers at Rambol, for a deep dive into current issues in export control and economic sanctions.
Jeff Nielsen, an American lawyer with expertise in US and European Union sanctions, currently works at a prominent Danish engineering firm, having transitioned from practicing law in the US to navigating the complexities of international sanctions. Jan Dunin‑Wasowicz, a partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, is a leading figure in trade sanctions, operating globally out of the Paris office.
Nielsen’s perspective on trade sanctions is shaped by his direct experience with US and European Union regulations, viewing the field as dynamic, challenging, and necessitating an understanding of both legal frameworks and international relations. Similarly, Dunin-Wasowicz emphasizes the industry’s complexity, dynamism, and the importance of staying informed about global affairs to anticipate risks. His work underscores the increasing role of the private sector in dealing with sanctions, highlighting the need for a proactive and adaptable approach to risk assessment in this evolving field.
Key Highlights:
Private Sector Role in Evolving Trade Sanctions
Dynamic Compliance Strategies in Trade Regulations
Sanctions Enforcement Disparity: EU vs US
Global Landscape Risk Assessment in Trade Compliance
Welcome to “Compliance Tip of the Day,” the podcast where we bring 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 aim is to provide you with bite-sized, actionable tips to help you stay on top of your compliance game.
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.
In this episode, we begin a multiple-episode exploration of data-driven analytics for compliance professionals.
For more information on the Ethico ROI Calculator and a free White Paper on the ROI of Compliance, click here.
Check out the latest episode of Riskology by Infortal™ – Risk on the Rocks: Rare Earth Elements.
Ever wonder what powers the technology that fuels our future? From the smartphones in our pockets to the rockets aiming for Mars, there’s a secret ingredient: rare earth elements. Here’s the catch: while critical to innovation, these minerals are also vulnerable to global tensions.
In this episode, hosts Dr. Ian Oxnevad and Chris Mason, from Infortal Worldwide, discuss the risk management implications of accessing critical mineral resources. Taking a closer look at the global impact of these rare earth elements, you’ll gain insights into their strategic importance and understand their vital role in the advancement of sectors such as defense, energy, and technology.
Venture into the global risk chessboard, to learn about how the race for dominance in the rare earth elements space will impact who comes out on top in the 21st century.
Moreover, the pursuit of critical minerals often intersects with pressing social issues, including the rights and welfare of local communities. In regions rich in rare earth resources, such as Africa and South America, mining activities can lead to displacement, social unrest, and exploitation. The international community faces the dual task of securing a steady supply of critical minerals while ensuring that the pursuit does not come at the expense of humanitarian values or environmental sustainability.
Importantly, companies must engage in thorough risk assessments to understand their risk exposure to fluctuating market conditions and dire humanitarian concerns. This involves examining the entire supply chain, from mines to manufacturing, to ensure that all steps meet ethical and sustainability standards.
For companies with risk exposure, it will be important to:
Conduct Risk Assessments and Due Diligence
Ensure There is No Child Labor or Human Trafficking
Develop Internal Risk Management Mechanisms
Provide Focused Training
Monitor Supply Chain Resiliency
We hope you can join us for the next episode of Riskology by Infortal™!
NAVEX continues to produce high-quality compliance reports, many of which are a must-read in the compliance industry. Its annual Whistleblower Report is of particular note: NAVEX is the leading provider of hotline services in the world, and its data is invaluable as a source of trends in this industry. This year, 2024, is no exception. NAVEX combed through the data from 3784 organizations for 2023. Its headline conclusion — 2023 was a busy year, with a record level of use and the substantiation rate reaching an eleven-year high. More reports came in, and more were found to be true.
Listen in as Michael discusses the findings of these reports and why the increase is a good sign, not a bad sign. It means that employees trust their respective hotline reporting systems to produce results.
NAVX’s 2024 Whistleblower Report revealed a record level of use and an 11-year high substantiation rate, indicating increased trust in employee reporting systems.
Accounting-related reports, comprising approximately 4.3% of all reports in 2023, had a significant impact. With a median substantiation rate of 50%, these reports often led to employment separation events, underscoring the seriousness of the issues raised.
Third-party reports were more likely to focus on business integrity and financial misconduct issues, accounting for 50% of reports compared to employees’ 17%.
Reports of imminent threats had a high substantiation rate in 2023, with nearly 9 out of 10 reports proven to be substantiated, highlighting the seriousness of such issues.
Workplace civility complaints increased to 18% of reported cases, reflecting a growing concern within organizations about maintaining a respectful work environment and culture.
HR issues, a significant portion of all reports in 2023, accounted for 55% of the total. This underscores the importance of addressing internal workplace issues, such as workplace discord, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, to maintain a healthy and productive work environment.
Clear Channel’s extensive cooperation with the investigation, prompt sharing of facts, document production, and employee interviews demonstrated a commitment to transparency and accountability in addressing compliance issues.
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 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, or general interest for the compliance professional.
Boeing is not the first company to find itself amid a massive scandal. You can think of Siemens’ bribery and corruption scandal, the VW emissions-testing scandal, the Wells Fargo fraudulent accounts scandal, or any other myriad of corporate scandals where culture failed and created a toxic culture. The question for any organization in such a situation is how to transform its culture.
In this special five-part podcast series, Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability, and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, look at the ways a company in the depths of such a situation can plan out and take concrete steps to turn around and rebuild its culture. In this concluding Part 5, we explore the dynamism of culture and why ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement are so critical for a true culture transformation.
Leaders must set a clear vision for a positive culture, emphasizing values such as excellence, safety, and community involvement, and stress the importance of proactive actions to foster a culture of excellence. However, even after assessing a culture, the culture transformation strategy, andthe plan’s implementation, the culture transformation must be nurtured through ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement. Leaders must make culture a primary objective, consistently demonstrating core values while advocating for continuous culture monitoring and improvement. Both agree that cultivating a solid culture improves the organization’s bottom line, enhances the quality of products, and contributes to the betterment of communities.
What happens when two top compliance commentators get together? They talk about compliance, of course. Join Tom Fox and Kristy Grant-Hart in 2 Gurus Talk Compliance as they discuss the latest compliance issues in this week’s episode!
In this episode, Tom and Kristy take on a wide variety of compliance related topics.
One of the key issues they look at are reports suggesting China is strategically relocating forced labor from the Uyghur region to different parts of the country in an attempt to bypass US laws prohibiting goods sourced from areas associated with forced labor.
This could trigger wider limitations on goods originating from China, stressing the necessity for intensive audits and transparency in business operations. This issue has sparked bipartisan concern, hinting at potential upcoming legal actions.
Tom stresses the need for companies to react effectively to reduce risks, possibly through on-the-ground audits and increased accountability in business operations in China. Kristy underscores the need for thorough audits and proactive measures in response to the risks associated with forced labor in China. She raises the possibility of legal consequences for companies found to be misleading about their involvement with forced labor. Both perspectives serve to underline the gravity and complexity of this issue.
Highlights Include:
An ex-McKinsey partner says he was scapegoated. (Reuters)
Welcome to “Compliance Tip of the Day,” the podcast where we bring 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 aim is to provide you with bite-sized, actionable tips to help you stay on top of your compliance game.
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.
In this episode, we explore how a culture of speaking up improves corporate culture.
For more information on the Ethico ROI Calculator and a free White Paper on the ROI of Compliance, click here.
Ronald Yu is the director and co-founder at MakeBell Limited. He is also a visiting fellow at the City University of Hong Kong’s (CityU’s) School of Law and a part-time law lecturer at Peking University.
As a scholar and author, his areas of interest are the nexus of law and tech: intellectual property (IP) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), artificial intelligence (AI) and its legal ramifications, cross-border data flows across APAC, as well computer forensics. At The University of Hong Kong (HKU), he has taught courses on patents, as well as IP information technology. He has also lectured on FinTech at CUHK while also teaching courses on the commercialization of IP and patent law at CityU. He has also taught IP strategy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Donald Day is the chief operating officer of FinTech start-up firm VDX, which is building a digital asset ecosystem for institutional investors. He was also an in-house cryptocurrency/digital asset expert at Hong Kong’s capital markets regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission, where he helped shape the licensing regime for virtual asset trading platforms and designed and led the supervision of virtual asset fund managers and trading platforms.
In this episode of Regulatory Ramblings, Ron and Donald chat with host Ajay Shamdasani on the potentially pernicious consequences of non-technically trained lawyers – specifically, those without degrees or substantial experience in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) – offering advice in situations where technology is either implicated or at the core of the matter. The law can be unforgiving to those who are ignorant of its often arcane ways, and ultimately, it is clients who pay for what lawyers either do not know or assume the guests share. In an age of AI, machine learning, and large language models (LLMs) – they do not go as far as to say lawyers need to learn how to code, but counsel needs to understand the practical legal, business, financial, and reputational implications of such technologies for their clients.
Technology can, at times, change the rules of the game, Ron and Donald stress. Yet, they also point out that sometimes lawyers suggest contractual terms that are legally feasible but, based on current technology, impractical – such as the Bitcoin 10-second consensus period, a performance requirement that is not possible to do. As our guests explain, if there are terms in a contract that are unworkable, it could lead to a lawyer killing a deal either out of ignorance of the underlying technology or a lack of commercial acumen.
The discussion moves onto how rare it is to find those who are technically trained and also licensed practicing lawyers. Clearly, the more technical a subject, the less likely an average dispute resolution practitioner at the typical multinational, Anglo-American law firm is going to be up to the task. Our guests acknowledge that leaves clients with a very narrow field of specialists to choose from if they want to be represented by lawyers who understand both the law and the underlying technology involved.
Yet, as Ron Yu notes, even ‘non-techies’ can get up to speed by educating themselves, pointing to the living example of US federal judge Randall R. Rader—as has been the case with FinTech and cryptocurrencies.
Lawyers often view technology through the lens of its legal and regulatory compliance implications, with less focus on its implementation. How it will work and how and where best to use it is an afterthought. As for cybersecurity, it is regarded as an IT issue, they say. If a lawyer overlooks cybersecurity issues, Yu said, then they are glossing over important technical details that can harm a client.
The conversation concludes on the point that when it comes to ‘tech lawyers’, it certainly seems that, generally speaking in APAC, those practitioners that market themselves well have the biggest platforms and the loudest voices and are, therefore, regarded as authorities in their respective fields.
Clearly, there are times when the right kind of technical background is not substituted. For example, as Donald Day recalls, patent litigators do not infrequently have to deal with solicitors who don’t understand the tech, and those solicitors soon become a hindrance.
Both guests underscore the lingering perception that it is not ideal to engage in IP-related litigation in Hong Kong because of the lack of talent; even if a specialist carefully explains something to a solicitor, the latter will invariably get it wrong or simply not understand the subject matter.
Podcast Discussion:
03:24 Intersecting Realms: Non-Technical Lawyers and Technical Expertise in Legal Practice
09:02 Deciphering the Code: The Role of Legal Practitioners in an Increasingly Technical World
17:45 Tech Literacy for Lawyers: Navigating Smart Contracts and Beyond
25:32 Tech Savvy and Legal Deals: Avoiding Pitfalls
40:17 Beyond Technology: Complex IP and Financial Considerations in Legal Practice
45:08 Balancing Expertise and Common Sense in Legal Proceedings
54:13 Ensuring Legal and Technical Competency in Virtual Asset Licensing
1:04:11 Adapting to Change at the Intersection of Law and Technology in Fintech
