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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – The Compliance Pre-Mortem: Together We Can Do Hard Things Well with Jonathan Aronie

This GWIC episode features a “Great Gentleman in Compliance,” Jonathan Aronie, a leading expert in government investigations and organizational integrity at Sheppard Mullin. Jonathan joins GWIC co-host Hemma Lomax to discuss his career journey, the innovative compliance tool known as the compliance pre-mortem, and the importance of proactive measures in compliance and governance. He also emphasizes the significance of active bystander intervention programs, derived from law enforcement, as highly effective tools for preventing misconduct in organizations. Additionally, Jonathan offers insights into the challenges and benefits of compliance programs, highlighting the need for continuous improvement and strategic empathy in these efforts.

  • The Psychology of Preventative Compliance
  • The ROI of Compliance and Integrity
  • The Concept of Pre-Mortem in Compliance
  • Common Risks and Blind Spots in Compliance
  • Active Bystander Programs vs. Compliance Hotlines
  • Lessons in Compliance and Culture from Policing
  • Building Continuous Improvement Frameworks
 

Biography

Jonathan Aronie is a partner in and the former leader of the firm’s Governmental Practice, resident in Washington, DC. Jonathan is also a founding member and current leader of the firm’s Organizational Integrity Group, a cross-disciplinary team of litigators, regulatory specialists, federal monitors, and ex-prosecutors with extensive experience helping organizations prevent and defend against challenges to their organizational integrity. 

Areas of Practice

Jonathan counsels and represents large and small businesses in some of the country’s most prominent classified and unclassified government contract matters, including bid protests, claims, self-disclosures, internal investigations, Department of Justice investigations, and False Claims Act investigations. As the leader of the firm’s Organizational Integrity Group, Jonathan also dedicates significant time to working with clients to identify and mitigate known and unknown risks before they become problems.

Jonathan’s experience includes litigating under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, conducting early risk-based “legal pre-mortems,” developing and implementing corporate compliance programs, conducting internal investigations (proactive and defensive), and providing advice on the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule as well as a variety of federal regulatory and statutory matters. He frequently represents clients before the DOJ, the Government Accountability Office, the General Services Administration, and other defense and civilian agencies. Additionally, Jonathan is cleared at the highest levels and counsels and defends clients in classified matters.

Jonathan has authored more than 100 articles and co-authored what is regarded by many as the leading treatise on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program, published by Thomson Reuters. He is a regular speaker at national and international forums, as well as CLE programs, including government-sponsored symposia. He is a regular presenter at Coalition for Government Contracting programs and served on the ABA Task Force that drafted guidance regarding the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule.

https://www.sheppardmullin.com/jaronie

Resources

Sheppard Mullin’s Organizational Integrity Group

Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement

Everyone Benefits When An Ethics & Compliance Program Is Integrated Throughout An Organization. By: Jonathan Aronie,

Jonathan Aronie on LinkedIn

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance: GWIC X EC Q2 2025 – Exploring Compliance Innovations

We’re back with another GWIC x EC crossover episode. Today, we have the quartet of Great Women in Compliance of Kristy Grant-Hart, Karen Moore, Lisa Fine, and Hemma Lomax.

The GWIC quartet discusses various intriguing topics related to compliance. Lisa Fine kicks off the conversation by discussing the new ‘failure to prevent fraud’ guidance in the UK, which places greater responsibility on companies to avoid engaging in fraud. The group delves into the implications of this law and its extraterritorial elements. Hemma Lomax shifts the conversation to changes in the False Claims Act in the US, highlighting its expanded use beyond fraudulent billing to areas like cybersecurity and diversity obligations. Karen Moore introduces the innovative ‘Karma’ rewards system by Revolut Bank in the UK, which incentivizes compliance behaviors through team performance multipliers. Kristy Grant-Hart wraps up with a fascinating discussion on AI, touching on AI’s potential as a whistleblower and whether AI could attain employment rights if it becomes sentient. They conclude by sharing their rants and raves, offering insights on topics ranging from the importance of local theaters to women’s leadership in compliance.

Join the Great Women in Compliance community on LinkedIn ⁠here⁠. 

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – Leading with Integrity: Women Shaping the Future of Compliance

In this episode, Lisa and Ellen get the opportunity to speak with Junna Ro and Melanie Sponholz to recap the Women in Compliance Summit and discuss the evolving landscape for women in the field.

Junna Ro, a seasoned legal and compliance executive and the Head of Strategic Legal Initiatives at the University of California, and Melanie Sponholz, Chief Compliance Officer & Director of Responsible Investing—Portfolio Operations at Waud Capital Partners, shared insights from the summit.

Both Junna and Melanie emphasized the collective support and sense of community at the event, discussing their session on mentorship and allyship, as well as effective strategies for building these relationships. Junna’s session with Elizabeth Simon focused on Women on Boards and also provided insight and strategy.

They also discuss the current state of the profession, examining both its challenges and opportunities.

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – Culture. Data. Ethics with Hui Chen

Hui Chen is a luminary in the world of Ethics and Compliance, and she is our guest on today’s episode of Great Women in Compliance. Today, Hui is one of the co-founders of CDE Advisors, which stands for “Culture. Data. Ethics.”

Most of us know Hui from her work at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and her contributions to the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance for the Fraud Section. However, my career path included being a prosecutor, in-house compliance work, and even being inspired to pursue a Master’s degree in Divinity after the 9/11 attacks.

Hui discusses the origins of the ECCP and her perspective on its current use. She also discusses the opportunity in the “FCPA pause” and how organizations can broaden their ethical considerations beyond foreign bribery to focus on relationships with all stakeholders. She discussed how the focus on regulatory guidance, particularly on bribery outside the United States, is just one of many areas to consider as a compliance professional. 

She also offers practical advice based on her experiences working with global compliance functions and the lessons she has learned.

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – Board Bond: Why Ethics & Compliance Professionals Should Be on Boards and How to Get on One

👉 New #GWIC Episode – Board Bond: Why Ethics & Compliance Professionals Should Be on Boards and How to Get on One

Our expert guests:

• Teri Quimby, who is a Board Director, a coach and advisor, and a former state regulator, and

• Vera Cherepanova, Executive Director of Boards of the Future and an in-demand author and speaker.

Teri Quimby and Vera Cherepanova talked with Sarah Hadden and Ellen Hunt about how #Ethics and #Compliance professionals struggle with being seen as a back-office function rather than strategic risk management and how we bring expertise, experience, and insights that #Boards of Directors can’t afford to overlook. We drilled down into:

✅ Why Boards should diversify their rosters by appointing Ethics and Compliance professionals.

✅ Why it’s a hard sell to get Boards to cast a wider net when looking for new Board members, and what Ethics and Compliance professionals can do to leap over these barriers.

✅ What unique skills do Ethics and Compliance professionals have that are most in demand by Boards?

✅ What successful candidates do to land a Board seat.

👉 Tune in now: Great Women in Compliance

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – Compliance is the Floor, Ethics is the Ceiling with Ellen Hunt

In this week’s special episode of Great Women in Compliance, Hemma interviews Ellen Hunt, an ethics and compliance professional and recent recipient of the Compliance Week Lifetime Achievement in Compliance Award. Ellen shares her journey from law to compliance, emphasizing the importance of organizational justice, psychological safety, and ethical decision-making. Listeners will gain insights into Ellen’s approach to fostering a values-driven culture, her experiences and advice on ensuring transparency, the role of conflict in cultivating psychological safety, and her commitment to nurturing the compliance community.

Highlights include: 

  • Ellen Hunt’s Career Journey and Recent Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Organizational Justice and Compliance
  • The Evolution of Ethics and Compliance
  • The Role of Psychological Safety
  • Ellen’s Legacy in Elevating a Compliance Community

Biography:

Ellen is a lawyer, ethics & compliance professional, audit executive, and chief privacy officer. Before joining Spark Compliance Consulting, A Diligent Brand, Ellen was the Vice President, Compliance Program Operations and Chief Privacy Officer for LifePoint Health, Senior Vice President ~Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, and Chief Audit Executive for AARP.

Ellen was named “Mentor of the Year” by Compliance Week in 2021 and the 2019 Not-For-Profit Compliance Officer of the Year by Women In Compliance. She received the Trust Across America Top Thought Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and was named a Top Mind by Compliance Week in 2016. Most recently, in April 2025, she was awarded a Lifetime Award for Compliance by Compliance Week.

She taught at the Fordham University School of Law, Program for Corporate Ethics and Compliance. She is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching Business Ethics in the 21st Century and co-teaching the Compliance and Culture courses. Ellen serves on the Advisory Boards for the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership, Compliance Week, and the Quorum Initiative. She is the co-founder of The Seven Elements Book Club, a book club devoted to ethics and compliance authors, and winner of the 2022 award for “Best New Idea” by the Great Women in Compliance podcast.

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FCPA Compliance Report

FCPA Compliance Report – Ethical Decision-Making in Times of Change

Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest-running podcast in compliance. This is a very special episode. Tom Fox is joined by Lisa Fine, Ellen Hunt, and Hemma Lomax from the Great Women in Compliance podcast for our annual GWIC/FCPA Compliance Report cross-post podcast. We recorded this at Compliance Week 2025.

In this year of uncertainty and change in compliance, we discussed the need to revisit and emphasize foundational ethics amid the evolving compliance landscape, seeing uncertainty as a chance for professional growth and deeper ethical reflection. We also discussed integrating ethics into compliance functions and advocating for a community-oriented approach that respects diverse viewpoints and fosters global perspectives; highlighted the importance of innovative strategies and understanding human behavior, advocating for creative approaches like podcasts to foster a speak-up culture and stressing the use of technology and coaching to enhance ethical decision-making, ultimately contributing to a robust corporate culture capable of navigating international compliance challenges.

 

Key highlights:

  • Ethical Decision-Making in Times of Change and in a Global Business Arena
  • Global Training Program for Anti-Corruption Enforcement
  • Promoting Ethical Culture and Fair Treatment
  • Harnessing Collective Energy for Compliance Excellence

Resources:

Lisa Fine on LinkedIn

Ellen Hunt on LinkedIn

Hemma Lomax on LinkedIn

Tom Fox

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

For more information on the use of AI in Compliance programs, see my new book, Upping Your Game. You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.com

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – Exploring the Future of Compliance: Key Takeaways from Compliance Week 2025

This episode of Great Women in Compliance is very special. Tom Fox joins Lisa Fine, Ellen Hunt, and Hemma Lomax for our annual GWIC/FCPA Compliance Report cross-post podcast, which we recorded at Compliance Week 2025.

Key highlights:

  • The Vibe at Compliance Week 2025
  • Opportunities for Growth in Compliance
  • The Importance of Ethical Decision Making
  • Global Perspectives on Compliance
  • Practical Advice and Takeaways

Our discussion centers around the current state of compliance, emphasizing the importance of community and collaboration. The panelists reflect on the vibe of Compliance Week 2025, highlighting keynotes and sessions that underscore the need for ethical decision-making, innovation, and professional growth amidst regulatory changes and uncertainties.

We took a deep dive into practical advice and creative ideas from the conference, such as compliance chronicles and internal podcasts, to foster a strong compliance culture. We discussed the global perspective on anti-corruption enforcement and the potential role of state attorneys general in the U.S. With a focus on community support and continuous improvement, this episode provides valuable insights and inspiration for compliance professionals.

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Great Women in Compliance

Creating Space to Speak Up: The Story Behind Psst.org

In this episode, Hemma and Ellen visit Jennifer Gibson and Rebecca Petras, two of Psst.org’s three co-founders, to discuss Creating Space to Speak Up and the organization’s story.

Together, they discuss revolutionizing whistleblowing by collectivizing information and providing support for insiders in high-risk environments. They also share insights into building trust, the importance of clear reporting channels, and the crucial role of leadership in fostering a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up. This episode explores the challenges faced by whistleblowers, the importance of transparency and accountability within organizations, and the living legacy of Psst.org.

Highlights include:

  • How Building Trust and Safe Spaces for Whistleblowers
  • Challenges in Corporate Whistleblowing Culture
  • The Role of Technology in Whistleblowing
  • Challenges and Solutions in Whistleblowing
  • A Call to Action for Compliance Professionals.

Resources:

https://psst.org/

Biographies

Jennifer Gibson

Co-Founder and Legal Director, Psst.org

Jennifer most recently ran the Whistleblower Protection Program at The Signals Network. She is a US lawyer with over fifteen years of experience investigating, litigating, and advocating for human rights. Previously, Jennifer worked for Reprieve, where she led the organization’s work on extrajudicial killings carried out under the guise of national security. She worked closely with civilian victims of drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere, investigating their cases to secure accountability. Her work involved litigation before both domestic and international courts and public and political advocacy aimed at holding powerful governments and corporations accountable for their abuses. Jennifer has a JD from Stanford University and is barred from California.

Rebecca Petras

Co-founder and Principal Officer, Psst.org

Rebecca has a long career in building start-up non-profits from the ground up. Before Psst, she was the Director of Operations of The Signals Network, handling strategy, development and communications. She previously served as director of the Geneva-based H2H Network, overseeing the network’s inception, strategy, and sustainability and its fund for small humanitarian technical agencies. From 2010 to 2019, she served as deputy director of Translators without Borders (TWB), overseeing global operations of the international NGO, of which she was a founding board member. Before her humanitarian work, Rebecca was a journalist and a marketing executive. She holds an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a BA in Philosophy and German from the University of Michigan.

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Great Women in Compliance

Great Women in Compliance – Roundtable on The Future of Financial Crime Prevention

In this episode of Great Women in Compliance, hosts Dr. Hemma Lomax and Lisa Fine bring together Patricia Marinho and Maria Luisa Signorini to discuss the future of financial crime prevention. The conversation delves into their extensive backgrounds in financial compliance, the role of technology and AI in anti-money laundering (AML) controls, and the challenges and advancements in the field. They also reflect on the importance of human oversight in AI-driven systems and share their visions for the future of AML technology.

Highlights include:

  • A tour of the guest’s deep experience in financial regulation and risk management
  • Key challenges in financial crime detection and prevention
  • The role of innovation and emerging technology in compliance
  • Trust and the expectation of regulators when it comes to AI in financial services
  • Advice for compliance professionals leveraging community and mentorship

 

Biographies

Patricia Marinho is a highly accomplished Executive Global Head of Compliance, legal professional, and senior compliance strategist with over 25 years of experience in regulatory affairs, risk management, and corporate governance across the United States, Latin America, and global markets. She specializes in developing and leading high-impact compliance programs, aligning financial institutions with international regulatory frameworks, and advising executive leadership on governance and risk oversight.

As Executive Global Head of Compliance at Hamilton Reserve Bank (HRB), Patricia is responsible for shaping and implementing the bank’s global compliance strategy to support global growth and ensure adherence to international financial regulations. She is pivotal in positioning HRB for long-term regulatory success and global expansion, working closely with executive leadership to strengthen governance, mitigate risks, and enhance operational resilience.

Maria Luisa Signorini is the Vice President of Global Financial Crimes for Bank of America in Brazil. She has over 30 years of experience as a Legal professional in Litigation, Banking, Asset Management, and Financial Services, having worked for leading players in Brazil’s law firms, banking, and the financial services industry. She started her career as a civil litigator in major Law Firms in São Paulo – Brazil, and afterward transitioned to Compliance, Anti Money Laundering (AML)/Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF), fraud, corruption, and bribery Areas. She has extensive knowledge of Brazil’s legal, compliance, and regulatory matters through senior positions in major global financial institutions located in Brazil, such as HSBC, UBS, Western Union, and now Bank of America.

Maria Luisa’s extensive expertise includes supporting the business by defining strategic compliance and reputational risks, having a deep understanding of Brazil’s regulatory environment, having experience working with local regulators, and having strong project coordination and management skills.

🎧 Listen now on your favorite platforms, the Compliance Podcast Network and Corporate Compliance Insights

♥️ Thanks as always to our wonderful #GWIC community for your support. Have an idea or suggestion? Drop a note to Lisa Fine or Hemma Lomax.