by Geert Vermeulen

Often ethics & compliance officers only end up in the news when things have gone wrong. Many people don’t realise that ethics & compliance officers also prevent numerous crimes and unethical practices, sometimes at the risk of being fired or by risking our health or even our lives. Usually you don’t hear about these cases. Therefore, I decided to share a couple WOW moments in compliance.The first part of the article that has been published last week discussed the case study of due diligence in the aviation industry. Now, in this second part, another example will be discussed, which is that of due diligence in the energy industry. Continue reading…

ING CEO Ralph Hamers will step down from his position and leave ING as of 30 June. After 29 years at ING he will join UBS on 1 September and will become the new Group Chief Executive Officer of UBS as of 1 November 2020. Ralph, who has been ING’s CEO over the past six years, has transformed ING into a leading digital bank, and has put ING on the path to becoming the go-to financial platform for customers. The UBS Board made the decision to appoint Ralph Hamers as successor of Group CEO Sergio P. Ermotti following a thorough and rigorous selection process, reflecting the firm’s commitment to strong corporate governance. Continue reading…

Although residential and commercial real estate prices are increasingly moving in sync and the role of international investors is growing, this does not mean that there is a global real estate market, a report by the Committee on the Global Financial System finds. Property price dynamics: domestic and international drivers documents recent trends in residential and commercial property prices in over 20 countries, gives an overview of key drivers of price developments and describes policy initiatives used to manage associated risks to the economy and financial stability.

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Congratulations to Nicola Allocca for this well-deserved appointment. We are particularly pleased because we have known Nicola from the beginning of our venture with Risk & Compliance ITALIA and we published his articles about the necessity to eradicating the corruption “cancer” and possible solutions. Legality, NoCorruptionZone, Integrity, Visionary Disobedience are the objectives for which he strives for and the first keywords that come to mind that we associate with his person. This recognition confirms to his valuable and continuous engagement on different levels, not only within his company (AST), but also in the international forum at OECD and in many activities at the university and institutional level.  Continue reading…

by Geert Vermeulen

This article is the first of a series of five articles and will be published in five parts. The second part will be published next week. Often ethics & compliance officers only end up in the news when things have gone wrong. Like in the recent money laundering scandals in the banking industry. In many of these cases, it was actually the management that decided that doing business was more important than being compliant and didn’t invest sufficiently in proper compliance controls and resources. Many people don’t realise that ethics & compliance officers also prevent numerous crimes. Continue reading…

by Branislav Hock

Airbus is yet another company that resolved its corruption out of the court. But buying a good ethical standing is becoming more complex. After all, a time when the US was the only country offering a settlement to a French company has passed. Paying massive bribes in China to sell aircraft interests many countries. Escaping prosecution is newly for sale in other countries as well. And the fact that France, the UK, and US were able to sell Airbus at a £3 billion settlement shows that this is a lucrative business. Continue reading…