By Adam Turteltaub

Do you ever ask yourself, “What kind of compliance officer am I?” Netherlands-based  Susan du Becker, Director, Risk & Compliance at Microsoft, thinks we all should. To her experience, there are two answers to that question.

One is a regulatory compliance officer: someone who is focused on the requirements of regulators, potential fines and legal consequence. The other is a business compliance officer, who is focused on what the business needs and how to ensure it achieves its goals while staying within the multitude of white lines the laws and regulations have painted.

She envisions herself as the latter, balancing business and regulatory requirements. She recognizes that the business unit will test the limits, and that she is there to make sure there are always two feet solidly on the ground.

To keep the business team focused on their legal and regulatory obligations, she advocates for making it clear what lines absolutely may not be crossed, taking the time to meet with them regularly and being prepared to have some difficult conversations if necessary.

She also believes that compliance teams are most effective when not positioning themselves as just a gate keeper.

Listen in to learn more about the approach, the role of governance and how to ensure the business understand this it owns compliance.

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