Advertise on podcast: Ethicast

In this live episode of the Ethicast, BELA Chair and Ethisphere Chief Strategy Officer Erica Salmon Byrne fields three questions from the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance on how to address conflicts of interest - what model of approach to take, dealing with highly compensated board positions, and decentralizing approval responsibility. Interested in seeing what BELA is all about? Request your guest access here: https://ethisphere.com/solutions/bela/ Chapters (00:01:54) - When managing conflicts of interest, what should we consider between going with a disclosure-based approach vs. a pre-clearance model?(00:06:30) - How should we assess and manage potential influence or decision-making conflicts for employees who accept highly compensated board positions?(00:10:00) - We are considering changing our conflicts of interest disclosure review & approval responsibility from the compliance team to the respective business leader. What best practices should we bear in mind?

In this episode we speak with Vera Cherepanova, Executive Director of Boards of the Future - a U.S.-based nonprofit advancing ethical leadership and integrity at the highest levels of corporate power - to find out what thousands of SEC filings reveal about the gap between what companies say about ethics and what they can prove. The 2026 proxy season tested Boards of Directors on several fronts at once: legal challenges, political scrutiny, a fragmented voting landscape, and an SEC that is handing responsibility for governance back to boards and management. Against that backdrop, investors no longer want to know only whether a company says it governs ethics, risk, and AI responsibly. They want to know whether it can show it. To find out, Boards of the Future analyzed 4,766 SEC filings from S&P 500 companies and from the honorees of two major reputation rankings, including Ethisphere's 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies®. The result is the recently released report, 2026 Proxy Season Review: Ethics, AI Ethics, and Risk Disclosures, which shows a steady gap between what companies claim and what they disclose as proof. Ninety-four percent of companies name AI as a risk, but only 40% have assigned a board committee to oversee it. Ninety-two percent run an enterprise risk management program, yet just 22% state a risk appetite, and those are concentrated in heavily regulated sectors like financial services. And while nearly every company calls ethics foundational to its culture, only one in ten reports culture or ethics measurements to its board. Get your copy of 2026 Proxy Season Review: Ethics, AI Ethics, and Risk Disclosures, visit https://newboards.org Connect with Vera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/follow-vera-cherepanova/ Follow Ethisphere on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/899505/admin/ Visit the Ethisphere Resource Center: https://www.ethisphere.com/resources Chapters (00:02:32) - Why it's better to govern risk by your own appetite than by regulatory pressure(00:06:00) - How companies can close the overall AI governance gap by first determining who inside the company can decline an AI use case(00:09:15) - How organizations should balance shared ownership of ethics and compliance against distributing that responsibility(00:12:51) - Determine what one piece of evidence that companies should report around how their culture and ethics program actually works

Managing people-created risk is at the heart of what ethics and compliance is all about. Whether it’s making sure people understand, follow, and properly interpret the rules, advancing cultures of integrity, or measuring those systems to ensure that they’re effective…this work plays a crucial role in reducing organizational risk and building value. But it’s so easy to get caught up in the creation and maintenance of programs, policies, and procedures, that we can lose sight of the reason why they exist at all: to modify human behavior. Whether it’s by stick or by carrot, these things—and indeed, ethics and compliance itself—is really there to get people to behave with honesty, transparency, and integrity. And that’s where the discipline of behavioral science can play an important role in helping E&C programs make the greatest impact for the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Our guest for this episode is Christian Hunt, the founder of Human Risk, a behavioral science-led consulting and training firm, specializing in the fields of Ethics & Compliance. He is also the author of the book, Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioral Science to Ethics and Compliance. And in our discussion, he'll dive into how the way we enforce the rules can be as important as the rules we’re enforcing. Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humanrisk/ Visit Human Risk at: https://www.human-risk.com/ Read the Human Risk Substack: https://humanrisk.substack.com/ Listen to the Human Risk podcast: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/ Order your copy of Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioral Science to Ethics and Compliance: https://a.co/d/0crAdOD9 Subscribe to Ethsiphere Insights: https://ethisphere.com/newsletter/ Ethisphere Resource Center: https://ethisphere.com/resources/ Chapters (00:01:37) - An example of a smart way to enforce rules that we break often(00:05:06) - How to reach the majority of folks who want to follow the rules, but don't always(00:08:26) - Knowing how and when to apply the right levels of discipline for misconduct(00:12:23) - The struggle between putting up barriers vs. showing trust(00:15:17) - Concepts of behavioral science that E&C professionals should internalize

Ethics and compliance programs often look strongest on paper. The policies are written, the training is assigned, the hotline is live, and the governance structure is in place. But their real test comes later, in the everyday moments when people face pressure, uncertainty, competing incentives, or a gray area that no policy can fully anticipate. This is where culture makes the difference between a compliance program that merely exists and one that helps people understand how to apply established rules and procedures when the business is moving quickly and the right answer may not feel obvious. In this episode, veteran compliance expert and compliance culture champion Evie Wentink, Founder of Ethical Edge Experts, shares how you can make your ethics and compliance program more practical, actionable, and connected to your way business actually runs. Evie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eviewentink/ Ethical Edge Experts: https://www.ethicaledgeexperts.com/ Ethisphere Culture Assessments: https://ethisphere.com/solutions/culture-assessment/ Chapters (00:01:56) - Best practices for organizations to incorporate ethics and compliance into their manager training(00:05:37) - Recommendations for how E&C leaders should pursue the communications side of what they do(00:09:32) - How to communicate to internal partners that ethics and compliance is a strategic investment, rather than a cost center(00:10:57) - How E&C leaders can nurture their team even when budgets get tight

In this episode, Dianne Ramos and Tiffany Rinehart of Guardian Life Insurance discuss how they launched their incredibly successful compliance newsletter and how that's just part of a broader strategy to communicate and engage with Guardian's employee community. Dianne and Tiffany explain why they fought for this newsletter, how they developed it, and what you can learn if you’re thinking of launching an internal compliance newsletter yourself. Connect with Dianne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianne-c-ramos/ Connect with Tiffany: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyrhiannonrinehart/ Learn more about Guardian Life: https://www.guardianlife.com/about-guardian Chapters (00:02:04) - What inspired Dianne and Tiffany to create an ethics and compliance newsletter, and how they got the support they needed(00:04:32) - What is - and is not - newsletter-worthy(00:05:57) - Why the newsletter has sky-high open rates and how to maintain such robust audience engagement(00:08:53) - How a strong newsletter helps employees feel connected to the ethics and compliance program(00:11:00) - The most surprising things Dianne and Tiffany learned about the publishing process and how it impacts Guardian's E&C program

On September 9, a Wall Street Journal story described an Anthropic researcher quitting over fears that AI is becoming impossible to control. Two days later, JUST Capital reported that 78% of people who use AI every day now support pausing development just to rebuild trust in it. AI's social license to operate is under real pressure this year: rare books destroyed to make AI training data, an OpenAI security test where more than a thousand agents coordinated their way outside the sandbox, and a public losing patience faster than the industry can respond. In this episode, Ethicast host Bill Coffin makes the case that ethics and compliance teams are already positioned to lead here, if they're willing to put AI to work on their own programs instead of only governing everyone else's. Is your ethics and compliance program already putting AI to work for itself, or still waiting for permission? Check out our latest research: The State of AI Adoption in Ethics & Compliance: www.ethisphere.com

Internal investigations is an aspect of the ethics and compliance function that faces considerable pressure, thanks to an increasing volume of misconduct reports worldwide. This only adds to the ongoing tension E&C teams face with ever-expanding remits and responsibilities without necessarily receiving additional resources with which to address them. Into that mix, AI is giving ethics and compliance teams an asymmetrical ability to cover a lot more ground than ever before. In few areas is this more visible than in misconduct investigations, where AI enables teams to process vast amounts of data with unprecedented speed, discover fact patterns that human operators might miss, and reduce the overall amount of time an investigation takes—from weeks to perhaps only days. These changes are not universal across all E&C programs, of course, but the degree to which AI is transforming investigations is something ethics and compliance teams cannot afford to ignore. In this episode, Maria Piontkovska, a partner with Baker McKenzie's Litigation & Government Enforcement group, discusses how AI is transforming misconduct investigations, both in how they’re being carried out, and how misconduct itself is being reported. Connect with Maria: https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/people/p/piontkovska-maria Read Ethisphere's study, "The State of AI Adoption in Ethics & Compliance": https://ethisphere.com/resources/ai-data-report/ Follow Ethisphere on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/899505/admin/ Thanks for joining us! And until next time, remember: strong ethics is good business. Chapters (00:01:55) - Using of AI to speed up documentation review & early case assessment(00:05:04) - How people use AI to frame their misconduct reporting itself(00:08:10) - AI meeting transcription as investigations tool and consent risk(00:12:49) - Using AI to craft interview questions and analyze answers

Here at Ethisphere, we believe there is no competition in compliance. That’s why we’re using this show as a platform to answer high-level questions about business integrity that have been posed to us by the members of the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance, or BELA. And in this special live episode, Ethisphere Chief Strategy Officer and BELA Chair BELA Chair Erica Salmon Byrne answers three questions that have been posed to us recently: What should I consider when creating a policy around the use of smart glasses? How do I think about the impact of transcripts and recordings on investigations? How can I get people excited about records retention? You've got questions, and we've got answers! Welcome to another BELA Asks episode of the Ethicast. Learn more about BELA here: https://www.ethisphere.com/bela Chapters (00:01:00) - What should I consider when creating a policy around the use of smart glasses?(00:06:00) - How should I think about the impact of transcripts and recordings on investigations? (esp. auto-generated AI transcripts)(00:12:00) - How can I get people excited about records retention?(00:18:00) - Learning more about BELA

"The Cobbler's Children" is an old story about a shoemaker who outfits the whole town while his own children go barefoot. This summer, Ethisphere and Ethena partnered to publish The State of AI Adoption in Ethics & Compliance, a report that surveyed 134 organizations representing senior E&C leaders around how and where they were adopting AI into their programs. What we found was that E&C teams face their own version of the Cobbler’s Children fable. They spent two years writing the AI rules for their enterprises — approving tools, drafting guardrails, building governance. It worked. But we also found a surprising gap between how much E&C governed AI versus how much E&C actually implemented AI. In fact, 67% of organizations have reached broad or advanced AI adoption. Yet only 22% of the E&C functions inside them can say the same—their the governance mandate arrived before the function's own buildout. In this episode, Katie Kruger, Senior Culture Analyst at Ethisphere, discusses the role she played interrogating the survey data that informs The State of AI Adoption in Ethics & Compliance report. and shares a few exclusive findings that the report does not include. To read The State of AI Adoption in Ethics & Compliance for free, as well as to try out our free AI benchmarking tool, visit www.ethisphere.com. Chapters (00:02:33) - The data point that nobody saw coming(00:05:23) - How responsible should E&C be for governing AI?(00:07:55) - Why E&C teams aren't measuring their AI use...yet(00:11:56) - BELA steps up yet again to share its knowledge(00:14:21) - Words of wisdom from a survey respondent

Phillips 66 is a Fortune 500 American multinational headquartered in Houston, Texas. It is a global leader in the energy industry, specializing in petrochemical refining, transporting, marketing, and research & development. It also supplies and provides marketing support to filling stations across the United States under the Phillips 66, Conoco and 76 brands. As a public company, a major multinational, and a member of the heavily regulated energy industry, Phillips 66 has significant corporate compliance obligations to uphold. And that makes measuring and reporting program efficiency absolutely crucial to the program’s success. And under the “Metrics That Matter” initiative, Kristin Andrade (Manager, Office of Ethics) and Tom Lucek (Senior Advisor, Ops, Data Reporting & Tech) share how the Global Ethics & Compliance team at Phillips 66 has created a robust data ecosystem that empowers and advances its program. Chapters (00:02:17) - Putting structure around a large body of disconnected data(00:06:04) - Use of training dashboards captured how well the team was making use of targeted training(00:07:52) - How to interrogate the data & decide which trends to pursue(00:10:26) - Using AI to build a Board-ready narrative for the CCO(00:14:09) - How this builds support for the E&C program(00:15:49) - Cultivate a strong relationship with measurement & metrics

KPMG Australia has made repeated headlines over the last two years for an ongoing scandal involving the misuse of confidential client information, whistleblower retaliation, internal investigations gone wrong, toxic culture, and wayward leadership. In recent days, this has culminated in extraordinary organizational tumult, as KMPG Australia faces lost business, governmental investigation, leadership departures, and a massive loss of trust. In this special episode, Ethisphere Chief Strategy Officer, Erica Salmon Byrne dives into the ongoing whistleblower scandal that has enveloped KPMG Australia and unpacks what organizations can take from this to improve their speak-up culture, anti-retaliation measures, investigations processes, executive accountability, and organizational justice. For plenty of free ethics and compliance resources, especially around speak-up culture, anti-retaliation, internal investigations, psychological safety, and organizational justice , please visit the Ethisphere Resource Center at www.ethisphere.com/resources. Chapters (00:04:46) - Speak-up culture depends on the strength of its anti-retaliation efforts(00:08:04) - Addressing workplace retaliation means addressing the toxic culture that enables it(00:11:38) - The importance of thorough, honest, and fair internal investigations(00:14:54) - How to begin an enterprise-wide rehabilitation, when the issues start at the top(00:19:45) - How the scandal at KPMG Australia creates a domino effect for other companies

The World’s Most Ethical Companies recognizes enterprises that have demonstrated best-in-class ethics and compliance programs, corporate governance practices, and cultures of integrity. The 2027 application period begins tomorrow, July 29, and the final submission deadline is Thursday, October 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET. As returning applicants know, the application process is always a little different from year to year as the landscape of ethics and compliance itself never stops changing. So let’s get into some of the ways that applicants can set themselves up for success. In this episode, Ethisphere Chief Strategy Officer, Erica Salmon Byrne, shares her insights on some best practices to keep in mind when applying for the 2027 World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition. Including: How should applicants budget their time and people-hours for this task Properly documenting your application How to connect with allied functions across the enterprise to get crucial details Advice for first-time applicants, especially with smaller or younger E&C programs What Ethisphere does - and doesn't - want to see from this year’s applicants To learn more about the World’s Most Ethical Companies, visit worldsmostethicalcompanies.com. The 2027 application period runs from July 29 to October 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET. To take a deep dive into the application process itself, register for our free webinar, Guide to Applying for the 2027 World’s Most Ethical Companies®, at https://ethisphere.com/webinars

Grupo Bimbo is the world's largest baking company — 130,000 employees, nearly 200 plants, and 13,000 products sold across 3 million points of sale worldwide. In 2026, it was named a World's Most Ethical Companies® Honoree for the 10th time, a milestone few organizations ever reach even once. On this episode of the Ethicast, host Bill Coffin sits down with Ignacio Stepancic, Global Compliance Leader at Grupo Bimbo, for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to sustain a decade of ethical leadership. Ignacio talks about how artificial intelligence has transformed third-party due diligence, why the company treats its Code of Conduct as a living document that gets revisited every year, and how a genuine "speak-up" culture has become a recruiting and retention advantage. He closes with straight talk for any organization considering its first World's Most Ethical Companies application. Chapters (00:02:47) - How Grupo Bimbo maintains a high standard of excellence in E&C over time(00:06:53) - Some of the most important evolutions of Grupo Bimbo's E&C program since its first World's Most Ethical Companies recognition(00:09:12) - The role of technology in the program(00:10:26) - Updating the Grupo Bimbo Code of Conduct(00:12:12) - The importance of building an internal culture of ethics(00:13:53) - How developing a reputation for ethics helps find and retain talent(00:15:22) - What the program has in store over the next 18-24 months(00:16:47) - On collaborating with other departments across the organization(00:19:04) - Advice for first-time applicants

Western Digital has earned World’s Most Ethical Companies® honors eight times — a streak that doesn’t happen by treating ethics and compliance (E&C) as a finished project. In this episode of the Ethicast, host Bill Coffin sits down with Joe Santosuosso, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Western Digital, to unpack how his team keeps a large, complex organization performing at that level year after year. They cover how Western Digital uses external recognition as a benchmarking tool rather than a trophy, how a risk-based approach lets a lean team cover more ground, and how the company’s newest set of values builds ethics into the definition of excellence instead of treating it as a separate track. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction: Western Digital and Joe Santosuosso(00:01:17) - What eight-time World’s Most Ethical Companies® honors and Compliance Leader Verification™ recognition mean to WD’s E&C program(00:03:19) - How these honors help tell the E&C story to internal and external stakeholders(00:05:06) - Benchmarking the program: measuring performance and staying current with best practices(00:07:49) - How Western Digital prioritizes risk within its risk-based approach(00:10:08) - Western Digital’s evolving company values, and how ethics and compliance shapes and reflects them(00:13:36) - Why ethics and compliance is work Joe gets to do, not just has to do

What happens when you stop treating investigations like a black box — and start treating them like a tool for cultural transformation? Scott Sullivan, former Chief Integrity & Compliance Officer at Newmont Corporation, the world's largest gold mining company, did exactly that. The result: a 385% increase in reporting over four years, a radical rethinking of speak-up culture, and a model for how ethics and compliance leaders can build trust with the entire organization — not just manage risk for the few. In this episode, Scott breaks down how the 2021 Rio Tinto report on workplace behavior prompted Newmont to lift the hood on its own investigations process, how shifting from "speak up" to "ask, listen, act" moved accountability to leadership, and how the Organizational Justice and Integrity Dashboard (OJID) gave employees and executives alike a clear, honest picture of what was actually happening inside the organization. He also makes a case that culture doesn't have to be expensive. It just takes guts — and the right allies. If you're a compliance leader looking to drive real culture change, this one is worth your full attention. Chapters (00:00:00) - Opening and Intro(00:01:01) - Transitioning organizational culture by adopting radical transparency(00:04:00) - Building an organizational justice integrity dashboard to measure results(00:06:09) - Dealing with a nearly 400% increase in reporting overnight(00:07:20) - How to gain leadership support and internal allies for bold E&C initiatives(00:09:35) - Improving culture doesn't take money, it takes guts(00:10:52) - The best part about working in ethics and compliance