Ethicast

In this episode of BELA Asks, Erica Salmon Byrne dives into the data surrounding best practices in governance and oversight for Ethics & Compliance. From data surrounding where the function sits, to how the Chief Compliance Officer should interact with the committee and the board, this episode is chock-full of valuable insights stemming from the 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies data set.

Want more data? Reach out to us to get access to the Sphere, our on-demand data platform!

#Ethisphere #Ethicast #BELAAsks #Governance #EthicsandCompliance

In today's episode of BELA Asks, Erica Salmon Byrne, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Chair of BELA, addresses who should ultimately own an organization's compliance program. The answer is: it depends.

One of the most pronounced concerns of the 2026 risk landscape so far is that of external investigations that involve multiple jurisdictions. Many businesses operate on an international, multi-national, or global basis. And if they don’t, their third-party suppliers and partners certainly do.

At the same time, a worldwide fracturing of regulatory expectations, enforcement paradigms, and legal controls have made the threat of a cross-border investigation an even greater risk than it has been traditionally. For any business facing the possibility of dealing with legal troubles that span jurisdictions, there has never been a better time to prepare in advance than right now.

Joining us this episode to explain how you can manage the risk of cross-border external investigations is Sagarika Chakraborty, CEO – India and Gulf, and Global Head of Investigations, of IIRIS Consulting, the largest Indian Digital, Risk, and Intelligence consulting firm.

In today's episode of BELA Asks, Erica Salmon Byrne answers the question, "We are reviewing our approach to service on external boards, both governing and advisory. In particular, what are circumstances in which we would or would not allow compensation for service on such boards?"

Erica addresses best practices on ensuring board service is documented as a conflict of interest, getting permission for service, and what to watch out for, particularly in allowing compensation for external board service. 

The Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) is a community of organizations committed to strengthening and maturing their E&C programs. In BELA Asks, we take time to address members' questions, and we share that information widely, because we believe there is no competition in compliance. 

#BELAAsks #Ethicast #Ethisphere #ConflictsofInterest

As businesses face relentless market challenges, technological transformations, leadership misconduct, and geopolitical whiplash, Boards of Directors play a vital role in providing the kind of ethical leadership that will help organizations build value and manage risk. And yet, those same pressures also expose the thin ethical oversight that many Boards provide—mainly because they lack practical ways to promote culture, conduct, and trust as core business values.

In response, Boards of the Future—a U.S.-based nonprofit advancing ethical leadership and integrity at the highest levels of corporate power—has released How Boards Should Oversee Ethics, a guide that distills ten concrete practices to help boards bring ethics into the center of strategy, risk, and performance conversations.

In this episode, Boards of the Future Executive Director, Vera Cherepanova speaks to the distinct practices that can help Boards be better drivers of ethical business culture.

As we celebrate our 100th episode of BELA Asks, we're answering *two* questions: How Do I Help My New CEO, and How Do I Reward Speak-Up?" And, we have a special guest appearance, too. Don't miss it!

At this year's Global Ethics Summit, Ethisphere kicks things off with industry roundtables in which you can spend time with your peers discussing best practices, challenges, and successes that specifically pertain to your industry. One of these is Next-Gen Learning: Exploring Emerging Tech Tools to Engage the "Non-Desked" Employee, which will discuss of the challenges of trying to apply exciting advancements in training and communications with a production workforce.

Joining us this episode is this workshop’s leader, Christopher Annand, Senior Director of the Ethics & Compliance Office, as he offers his thoughts on how Cargill innovates around training and engaging its production employees.

Cargill is the largest privately held U.S. company in terms of revenue. Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Cargill’s various businesses touch every major aspect of the global food supply chain, including agriculture, animal nutrition, food & beverage production, and transportation. Cargill also produces pharmaceuticals, supplements, beauty products, & bioindustrial products.

On March 29, 30, and 31, Ethisphere will host the 2026 Global Ethics Summit, held live in Atlanta GA and virtually online. This leading ethics and compliance event brings together leaders from nearly 500 organizations around the world, representing more than 60 industries, as they share innovations, insights, and best practices that help them tackle the real-world E&C challenges that face companies everywhere. Register for the Global Ethics Summit here: https://events.ethisphere.com/e/global-ethics-summit-2026

Premera Blue Cross is a not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield-licensed health insurance company that services approximately 2 million people in Washington state and Alaska.

Premera holds itself to the highest standards of ethical behavior, which is why Ethisphere has recognized the company with the coveted Compliance Leader Verification designation for 2025 through 2027.

In this episode, Sven Peterson, Vice President of Compliance, Ethics and Regulatory Services, and Corporate Compliance & Ethics Officer at Premera Blue Cross, explains how pursuing "ethics as a team sport" has been instrumental in advancing training and communications, developing a highly effective Compliance and Ethics Champion program, and strengthening monitoring and control functions.

In today's episode of BELA Asks, Erica Salmon Byrne, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Chair of BELA, answers the question, "In addition to training and manager policy education, what approaches are companies using to address areas with a significant number of concerns/ employee concerns of a specific type?"

For more information, visit ethisphere.com/resources #BELAAsks #Ethisphere #EmployeeEngagement #EthicsandCompliance

On March 29, 30, and 31, Ethisphere will host the 2026 Global Ethics Summit, held live in Atlanta GA and virtually online. This leading ethics and compliance event brings together leaders from nearly 500 organizations around the world, representing more than 60 industries, as they share innovations, insights, and best practices that help them tackle the real-world E&C challenges that face companies everywhere.

A can't-miss part of this year' agenda are interactive workshops such as One Speak Up Program, Many Voices: Bridging Generational, Cultural, and Organizational Divides. This session directly addresses the challenges of navigating the different expectations and communication preferences of a diversified workforce. Through real-life case studies and peer problem-solving, you'll build practical skills you can apply immediately. You'll leave with a comprehensive workbook filled with frameworks, guides, and a 90-day plan, plus actionable next steps, all tailored to help your organization navigate these differences without diluting your program's integrity.

In this episode, we're joined by this workshop's leader, Nela Gomez, VP, Growth and Commercial Strategy for North America at SpeakUp, as she discusses how to build a speak-up program that delivers the same levels of trust and confidence to your 22-year-old warehouse worker in Manila as it does to your 55-year-old manager in Munich, and your stateside legal team.

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Visit attendges.com to register for the Global Ethics Summit, where you can save your seat in Marinela’s interactive workshop, One Speak Up Program, Many Voices: Bridging Generational, Cultural, and Organizational Divides. Space is limited, and GES will be upon us before we know it, so don’t delay! Register and reserve your spot today. 

And to learn more about SpeakUp, be sure to engage with them at GES, visit speakup.com, and of course, follow both Nela and SpeakUp on LinkedIn.

And if you’re already set to attend GES, the Ethicast will once again be streaming live from the event! Please stop by and say hello. Who knows? We might even invite you to join the show.