By Adam Turteltaub

More and more organizations seem to be adopting compliance ambassadors or champions programs. In a nutshell, these efforts involve having members of the business unit serve as the eyes and ears, and sometimes arms and legs, of the compliance office.

Guillem Casoliva Cabana (LinkedIn), Compliance Manager, Training & Education, at Booking.com shares his insights on the topic in this podcast. The company’s ambassadors program began over 10 years ago.

Recruiting and training ambassadors is a critical part of the process at Booking.com. They are not nominated by their managers. Instead, all are individuals who volunteered to take on the role. At times, it can even be competitive. If more than one person in a given unit volunteers, there is a vote taken in the unit to make the selection.

The onboarding process includes seven distinct steps, including a live session with the compliance and ethics team that goes deep into the scenarios that they may face. Experienced ambassadors serve as mentors to newer ones. And, on an ongoing basis, ambassadors are supported through in-person meetings, an online portal, newsletter and quarterly webinars.

The program’s durability is a reflection of how successful it has been. The ambassadors have helped support the ethical tone of the company, served as examples of the company’s values and proven to be a cost-effective means of embedding compliance without adding to headcount.

Listen in to learn more about how the program has worked and what you need to do to start a successful ambassadors effort of your own.