A Conversation with Skillsoft and StoneTurn: Part 4 - John Arendes on Assisting Your Risks

Welcome to a special five-part podcast series, A Conversation with Skillsoft and StoneTurn: From the Code of Conduct to Risk Assessment to Continuous Improvement. This week’s podcast series is jointly sponsored by Skillsoft and StoneTurn Group, LLP. In this podcast series we will explore the recently released 2020 Update to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (2020 Update). We focus on your Code of Conduct and how it is informed by your Risk Assessment, training on your Code of Conduct, performing a Risk Assessment and conclude with how all this ties to continuous monitoring and continuous improvement. Participants in this podcast series include: from Skillsoft, Charlie Voelker, Director, Compliance Products; John Arendes, Vice President and GM of Global Compliance Solutions; from StoneTurn, Toby Ralston, Managing Director, Jamen Tyler, Managing Director and Stephen Martin, Partner. In this fourth episode, I visit with Arendes on assessing your risks and using that process to then manage those risks. 

The two recent releases of information in the form of the 2020 Update and FCPA Resource Guide, 2nd edition, make clear that companies must assess their risk and manage their risk. Years ago, there was this idea of one size fits all for compliance programs. The government’s thinking on this began moving towards taking into account a number of different risk variables that impact those businesses and what exposes them to areas of risk. This has led to the current environment where it is clear that one size does not fit all. Arendes said you should begin with the precept “to understand what the goal is of that risk assessment. What are you trying to get out of it? Is it a holistic view? Is it a specific area of risk or are there areas of data risks that we want to look at? The bottom line is to understand what’s your goal of the risk assessment.” Arendes also said an independent perspective should be sought. Using outside firms, having someone come in with an objective view is certainly an important part of your risk assessment.

Webinar

If you enjoyed today’s podcast, I want to let you know about an upcoming webinar Skillsoft and StoneTurn are hosting. The webinar “Evolving Your Compliance Program” will be held on Wednesday Sept 23 and will explore how companies are leveraging data and information to improve and evolve their compliance programs. Information and Registration click here.

Resources

For more information on Skillsoft’s compliance offerings, click here.

For more information on the Skillsoft/StoneTurn partnership, click here.

For more information on StoneTurn, click here.