By Adam Turteltaub

Kasey Ingram, the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of ISK Americas, learned compliance and ethics from the bottom up, quite literally.  He served for several years at the bottom of the ocean as an officer aboard a nuclear ballistic submarine.

While taking care of nuclear reactors and missiles may seem fairly removed from compliance, Kasey explains in the podcast that there is much in common, starting with the training.

During orientation at the U.S. Naval Academy a commander told him and the other new Midshipmen “Just because you’re a high performer doesn’t mean you have high character.”  It was an admonition he never forgot that in many ways shaped his time at the Academy and his career since.

It was not the only lesson he learned.  While at the Academy he served on the honor committee, where he had the opportunity to conduct investigations both from the accusation and defense side.

Later, as an officer on a submarine, he, like every other officer, was authorized to be an investigator.  His job was not only to find out what went wrong, but to fix the problem.  He also learned the value of communicating quickly and effectively with management – captains are very busy – a skill that would prove valuable in his compliance role.

Listen in as he shares his experiences, including the value the nuclear Navy puts on creating a speak-up culture.