Tag: Matt Silverman

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SBR - Authors' Podcast

SBR Authors Podcast: Matt Silverman on The Champions Network

Welcome to the Sunday Book Review, the Authors Podcast! Don’t miss out on this episode of SBR-Author’s Podcast, where Tom sits down with Matt Silverman on his book The Champions Network.

Matt Silverman is a seasoned expert and leading authority in implementing successful champion networks for organizational compliance and ethics, with years of experience in developing and building these networks. Silverstein believes the key to a successful champions’ network lies in active engagement and input from the champions, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement and feedback.

Matt suggests a targeted approach, focusing on specific compliance areas. He advises structuring the network by identifying risks, setting up a pilot program, obtaining leadership approval, defining the scope, and clearly outlining the responsibilities of both the champions and the network leader. His experiences in successfully implementing these networks in multiple organizations have shaped this perspective, and his passion for the champions network model is evident in his work. Join Tom Fox and Matt Silverman on this episode of the SBR-Author’s Podcast podcast to delve deeper into this topic.

Key Highlights Include:

  • Gaining Leadership Support for Champions Network
  • Building a Strong Compliance and Ethics Culture
  • Establishing a Risk-Based Champions Network
  • Selecting Enthusiastic and Motivated Champions
  • Engaging and Influential Champions Training Program
  • The Value of Champions Networks in Compliance

Resources:

Matt Silverman on Linkedin

The Champions Network

Tom Fox

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Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

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Compliance Week Conference Podcast

Matt Silverman on Considerations When Operating in an Evolving Geopolitical Environment

In this episode of the Compliance Week 2023 Speaker Preview Podcasts series, Matt Silverman discusses some of his panel at Compliance Week 2023, “Considerations When Operating in an Evolving Geopolitical Environment.”

Some of the issues he will discuss in his presentation are:

  • How cross-functional professionals are structuring their risk assessment programs, benchmark best practices, and walk away with ideas to enhance their program;
  • Cohesive approaches to concurrent risk assessments; and
  • A discussion on the insourcing vs. outsourcing external assessments and weighing the pros and cons of each.

I hope you can join me at Compliance Week 2023. This year’s event will be May 15-17 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC. The line-up of this year’s event is simply first-rate, with some of the top ethics and compliance practitioners around.

Gain insights and make connections at the industry’s premier cross-industry national compliance event offering knowledge-packed, accredited sessions and take-home advice from the most influential leaders in the compliance community. Back for its 18th year, compliance, ethics, legal, and audit professionals will gather safely face-to-face to benchmark best practices and gain the latest tactics and strategies to enhance their compliance programs. And many others to:

  • Network with your peers, including C-suite executives, legal professionals, HR leaders, and ethics and compliance visionaries.
  • Hear from 75+ respected cross-industry practitioners who are CEOs, CCOs, regulators, federal officials, and practitioners to help inform and shape the strategic direction of your enterprise risk management program.
  • Hear directly from the two SEC Commissioners, gain insights into the agency’s enforcement areas, and walk away with guidance on remaining compliant within emerging areas such as ESG disclosure, third-party risk management, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and more.
  • Bring actionable takeaways from your program from various session types, including ESG, Human Trafficking, Board obligations, and many others, for you to listen, learn and share.
  • Compliance Week aims to arm you with information, strategy, and tactics to transform your organization and career by connecting ethics to business performance through process augmentation and data visualization.

I hope you can join me at the event. For information on the event, click here. Listeners of this podcast will receive a discount of $200 by using code TF200 on the link here.

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Blog

Potential Russia Sanctions and Corporate Response

This week on the FCPA Compliance Report, I began a two-part podcast series on the potential U.S. sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine and what can be done to prepare. The guest and subject matter expert for the podcast was Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. Now that Russia has invaded Ukraine, I thought the need was even greater to get this information out. This blog post highlights Matt’s thoughts on both topics. I urge to listen to the two podcasts in their entirety to understand what sanctions might be levied and how you can help your company prepare a response.

  • What are the potential U.S. sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine?
    1. Impose a comprehensive or near-complete embargo of Russia.
    2. Impose additional sectoral sanctions on certain Russian industries.
    3. Prohibit exports of certain items or technology to Russia.
    4. Designate Russian entities under the Foreign Direct Product Rule.
    5. Add specific Russian entities or individuals to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN”).
    6. Prohibit Russian entities from accessing the U.S. financial system/using U.S. dollars and/or sanctioning foreign banks that conduct transactions with sanctioned Russian entities.
    7. Prohibit U.S. persons or entities from investing in Russian companies, requiring divestment, and/or sanctioning foreign entities that buy Russian government bonds.
    8. Impose “secondary sanctions” on entities or individuals that conduct certain transactions with Russia.
    9. Freeze Russian assets located in the U.S.
    10. Ban U.S. financial assistance to Russian entities.
    11. Withhold U.S. aid to any organizations that assist Russia.
    12. Prohibit imports and/or impose high tariffs on specific Russian imports.
    13. S. State-Level Sanctions: States may enact laws that prohibit business with, or require divestment of shares in, firms that conduct certain transactions with Russia.
  • What can be done to prepare?
    • First, ascertain your exposure and consider how some or all of these actions would impact your business.
    • Check your sanctions screening policies and procedures and check your customers and business partners in real time against global sanctions lists.
    • Identify all of your contracts with Russian entities or individuals and review your contracts for compliance with law clauses, notice clauses, and termination provisions.
    • Know your customer.
    • Identify what, if any, items, or technology you are exporting to Russia and any transactions with Russian entities that have ongoing or continuing obligations.
    • Take a look at your supply chain to avoid business interruption.
    • Identify whether you have any outstanding debts from Russian entities or individuals, and, if so, promptly purse collection activities.
    • Identify any procurement or manufacturing activities for goods intended for Russia and consider whether you can safely postpone or delay those activities, especially if you are dealing with specially designed or non-fungible goods (without breaching any contracts or risking failure to meet deadlines).

Resources
Matt Silverman on the potential U.S. sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine. (Part 1)
Matt Silverman on What can be done to prepare your company. (Part 2)

Categories
FCPA Compliance Report

Matt Silverman on Preparing for Potential Sanctions Against Russia


In this episode of the FCPA Compliance Report, I am joined by Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. In Part 1, we considered the potential U.S. sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine. In this Part 2, we discuss what you can do to prepare for such an eventuality. Highlights in include:

  • First, ascertain your exposure and consider how some or all of these actions would impact your business.
  • Check your sanctions screening policies and procedures and check your customers and business partners in real time against global sanctions lists.
  • Identify all of your contracts with Russian entities or individuals and review your contracts for compliance with law clauses, notice clauses, and termination provisions.
  • Know your customer.
  • Identify what, if any, items, or technology you are exporting to Russia and any transactions with Russian entities that have ongoing or continuing obligations.
  • Take a look at your supply chain to avoid business interruption.
  • Identify whether you have any outstanding debts from Russian entities or individuals, and, if so, promptly purse collection activities.
  • Identify any procurement or manufacturing activities for goods intended for Russia and consider whether you can safely postpone or delay those activities, especially if you are dealing with specially designed or non-fungible goods (without breaching any contracts or risking failure to meet deadlines).

Resources
Matt Silverman on LinkedIn

Categories
FCPA Compliance Report

Matt Silverman on Potential Sanctions Against Russia

In this episode of the FCPA Compliance Report, I am joined by Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. In this Part 1 of a special two-part podcast series, we look at issues related to potential sanctions against Russia, Russian individuals and Russian interests if Russia invades Ukraine. In Part 2, we will discuss what you can do to prepare for such an eventuality. Potential sanctions we review in this episode ininclude:

  1. Impose a comprehensive or near-complete embargo of Russia.
  2. Impose additional sectoral sanctions on certain Russian industries.
  3. Prohibit exports of certain items or technology to Russia.
  4. Designate Russian entities under the Foreign Direct Product Rule.
  5. Add specific Russian entities or individuals to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN”).
  6. Prohibit Russian entities from accessing the U.S. financial system/using U.S. dollars and/or sanctioning foreign banks that conduct transactions with sanctioned Russian entities.
  7. Prohibit U.S. persons or entities from investing in Russian companies, requiring divestment, and/or sanctioning foreign entities that buy Russian government bonds.
  8. Impose “secondary sanctions” on entities or individuals that conduct certain transactions with Russia.
  9. Freeze Russian assets located in the U.S.
  10. Ban U.S. financial assistance to Russian entities.
  11. Withhold U.S. aid to any organizations that assist Russia.
  12. Prohibit imports and/or impose high tariffs on specific Russian imports.
  13. U.S. State-Level Sanctions: States may enact laws that prohibit business with, or require divestment of shares in, firms that conduct certain transactions with Russia.

Resources

Matt Silverman on LinkedIn

Categories
The Compliance Life

Matt Silverman on Trade Compliance in 2025 and Beyond

The Compliance Life details the journey to and in the role of a Chief Compliance Officer. How does one come to sit in the CCO chair? What are some of the skills a CCO needs to success navigate the compliance waters in any company? What are some of the top challenges CCOs have faced and how did they meet them? These questions and many others will be explored in this new podcast series. Over four episodes each month on The Compliance Life, I visit with one current or former CCO to explore their journey to the CCO chair. This month, we have our first Director of Trade Compliance, Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. We discuss Matt’s journey to the Director’s chair and look down the road at where trade compliance will be in 2025 and beyond.

In this concluding episode, Silverman looks at the role and function of trade compliance in 2025 and beyond. He notes that currently at many organizations still falls under the logistics or supply chain function but down the road he believes it will be an integral role in every legal/compliance department with much more high-level visibility in the C-Suite, and trade compliance becoming a bigger factor in risk management considerations.

He also feels that Trade Compliance Directors will likely need significant experience and a legal background, particularly given the trend toward greater enforcement actions taken by DOJ and OFAC. We concluded with some of Silverman’s thoughts on the intersection of ESG with trade compliance.  As ESG gains more popularity and attention in the C-Suite, trade compliance will become more important and one of its roles will be in fulfilling ESG initiatives.

Resources

Matt Silverman LinkedIn Profile

Categories
The Compliance Life

Matt Silverman – Move to the Director of Trade Compliance


The Compliance Life details the journey to and in the role of a Chief Compliance Officer. How does one come to sit in the CCO chair? What are some of the skills a CCO needs to success navigate the compliance waters in any company? What are some of the top challenges CCOs have faced and how did they meet them? These questions and many others will be explored in this new podcast series. Over four episodes each month on The Compliance Life, I visit with one current or former CCO to explore their journey to the CCO chair. This month, we have our first Director of Trade Compliance, Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. We discuss Matt’s journey to the Director’s chair and look down the road at where trade compliance will be in 2025 and beyond.
His first role as a Trade Compliance Director role was at Solvay. In this role, Silverman learned to balance individual employee management and employee development along with day-to-day compliance issues.  Silverman then moved to VIAVI in the role of Global Trade Director & Senior Counsel. In this position he handles a wide variety of trade issues including import, export, sanctions and antiboycott. He also looks for ways to get involved in other areas that may intersect with trade compliance.

Categories
The Compliance Life

Matt Silverman – Move to the Corporate World

The Compliance Life details the journey to and in the role of a Chief Compliance Officer. How does one come to sit in the CCO chair? What are some of the skills a CCO needs to success navigate the compliance waters in any company? What are some of the top challenges CCOs have faced and how did they meet them? These questions and many others will be explored in this new podcast series. Over four episodes each month on The Compliance Life, I visit with one current or former CCO to explore their journey to the CCO chair. This month, we have our first Director of Trade Compliance, Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. We discuss Matt’s journey to the Director’s chair and look down the road at where trade compliance will be in 2025 and beyond.

Silverman Had to “start from the bottom” after my LLM; taking contract positions and non-attorney positions in trade compliance to get practical experience. From there he moved to his first in-house counsel role was at Baker Hughes in Houston as their international trade counsel.  At BH, he worked directly for the Director of Trade Compliance, gaining experience in sanctions work, customs issues and antiboycott law. He also got to study ‘at the feet’ of the Director of Trade Compliance and see how she ran the BH Trade Compliance program and interacted with the BH CCO and GC.

Categories
The Compliance Life

Matt Silverman – Academic Background and Early Professional Career


The Compliance Life details the journey to and in the role of a Chief Compliance Officer. How does one come to sit in the CCO chair? What are some of the skills a CCO needs to success navigate the compliance waters in any company? What are some of the top challenges CCOs have faced and how did they meet them? These questions and many others will be explored in this new podcast series. Over four episodes each month on The Compliance Life, I visit with one current or former CCO to explore their journey to the CCO chair. This month, we have our first Director of Trade Compliance, Matt Silverman, Director of Trade Compliance at VIAVI. We discuss Matt’s journey to the Director’s chair and look down the road at where trade compliance will be in 2025 and beyond.
After law school at Loyola, Silverman practiced, rather unhappily for four years as a personal injury and asbestos litigator in Chicago for a couple small defense firms. He then went back to school to get an LLM in international business law at Georgetown Law. It was this experience that drew him to trade compliance where during his LLM program I took temporary positions/externships in a variety of disparate positions including the US Senate, the Office of the US Trade Representative, the World Bank and the law firm of Baker Hostetler.

Categories
FCPA Compliance Report

Matt Silverman – Trade Compliance, Part 2

In this Episode of the FCPA Compliance Report, I conclude a special two-part series with Matt Silverman on trade compliance. Matt leads the VIAVI Global Trade team and provides strategic guidance to management on international regulatory requirements – including customs, export controls, embargoes, sanctions and antiboycott laws – enabling compliant movement and market access for VIAVI’s products, software, technology and services. Highlights of this podcast include:

1.         What are the key components of a best practices trade compliance program?

2.         It seems to me that trade compliance is even more important coming out of Covid 19 and into our ‘new normal’.

3.         What would you tell a young compliance professional about focusing on trade compliance?

4.         Where do you see trade compliance down the road in 2025 and beyond?

5.         Where does trade compliance fit into ESG?

Resources

Matt Silverman on LinkedIn

Articles

Navigating the Line Between US Export Controls and Anti-Discrimination Laws,

Export Compliance Manager, Issue 12, April 2021

 Ensuring Export Compliance in Activity-Based Working Spaces, Home Offices,

International Trade Blog, March 3, 2021

Navigating Export Compliance, CEP Magazine, March 2021  

What HR Needs to Know About Export Compliance and Deemed Exports, International Trade Blog, January 11, 2021

Championing Your Compliance Program, CEP Magazine, November 2020