By Krystal Jones

‘… and the struggle is finding and making the business process owner understand they need to OWN the process…’

Wait. Was this speaker at my desk last week?!? As someone very new to the C&E world (6.25 months but who’s counting) and part of a developing C&E program, it’s hard sometimes to understand my place. I cannot understate the value of being around folks that speak the language, have similar experiences, are willing to listen to your story and share their own. They say it takes a community, and SCCE is that community for C&E folks, new and established. Before this conference I felt I was in the dark in terms of my career, stumbling into C&E but not having a concrete idea where I wanted to go. Now I’m invigorated. I finally grasp how noble the profession is, what a truly natural fit it is for my personality. For the first time in years, I can’t wait to return to work. Thank you for that, I have a mission again.

 

By Frank Ruelas

Whether in the halls between sessions, within the Exhibit Hall, or at one of the many networking opportunities available at the CEI, you can feel the energy.

How?

It’s in the sharing. People are sharing some of the challenges that we all encounter despite whatever industry or type of organization we work in. For example;
– How do you make training more engaging;
– What can we do to send a message that compliance is important;
– What are ways we can work with other leaders to promote compliance?

It doesn’t matter if you are a department of 1 or 1 doze, or more…we all share common interests that bring us all together. So is it any surprise why attendees are so full of energy and eagerness?

To be surrounded by colleagues and by people who can genuinely related to what you are doing day in and day out, there is just something can revive the spark that we all have that keeps us fighting the good fight or not allowing is to lose heart in staying the course and working hard to keep promoting the message of compliance, even if we are the only voice in the room that may be trying to send the message that everyone needs to hear.

Thanks to everyone, you’ made the CEI a memorable experience.

By Tationna Tucker

This is my sixth year attending the CEI and every year I come back to work with several tips and tricks to apply back on the job and share info with colleagues. I still get as excited to attend now as I did on my first visit. Each year I see some the familiar faces that greeted me years ago and “showed me the ropes”. I have since obtained my CCEP and been promoted to various roles.

Now, as a veteran to the conference, I seek out first-timers to share my knowledge and tips for getting the most out of the conference. My top tips:

1. The sessions always hit the mark with industry trends and issues. Choose wisely.
2. It’s refreshing to discuss hot topics with E&C professionals. They speak your language and can offer different perspectives.
3. Start the day and off with yoga! ☀️
4. Seek out new vendors in the Exhibit Hall. Pro tip: save room in your luggage for swag.
5. Be sure to attend the networking events and Awards Dinner. Take advantage of meeting new people and the delicious treats!

Kudos to the staff that works so diligently to organize the CEI – job well done! So many valuable nuggets to take back home.

By Jeff Williams

Eugene Soltes killed it in more ways than one. The author of Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal brought an insightful and interdisciplinary presentation to the 2017 SCCE CEI general population. In illustrating how white-collar crime is many steps removed from the space, time, and injury to the victim, he shared the Trolley dilemma.

The first iteration of the Trolley dilemma goes like this: “You are standing by a trolley line next to a lever that switches tracks. You see a moving trolley heading towards five rail workers which will kill them if unstopped. On the switch track, there is one worker who would be killed if you switched the tracks to save the five. Do you pull the lever to switch tracks, thereby saving four lives?” Most people say yes.

The second iteration of the Trolley dilemma has a different twist: “You are on a bridge over a trolley line standing next to a large, heavy person. You see a moving trolley heading towards five rail workers which will kill them if unstopped. If you pushed the large person off the bridge, it would kill that person, stop the trolley, and save the five. Do you shove the large person off the bridge to a violent death?” Most people say no.

And so, Soltes used this to illustrate that one of the reasons Why They Do It is because they are removed from the damage done. Even though the mathematical death toll is the same in either iteration (five dead versus one dead), I might also humbly add that the reason most humans will pull the lever but not shove the obese is probably because one is definitely not murder but the other definitely is.

The professor went on to another related thought experiment, saying that if murder were legal, we still shouldn’t worry too much about our neighbor murdering us, because people don’t resolve social conflict through extreme violence. While I think that the professor’s sense of this is rooted in a lifetime of empirical and behavioral inquiry into the human condition, it did remind me of a bit by comedian Louis C.K. on this question If Murder Was Legal. The comedian had a different take on the thought experiment–there would be so much murder.

Whether you believe the professor or the comedian, it was a very insightful talk. Killed it.

By Tina Ahedo

What a great opportunity to learn about numerous compliance programs/software which can help small to large businesses bring in compliance and ethics to their front line. In the two days I have been here, I have already had the opportunity to meet a handful of individuals who are top leaders in their industry as it relates to compliance. For the newcomer, no need to worry about meeting new people, as “Speed Networking” is the perfect opportunity to meet many people. I look forward to the different speakers who will hopefully help me to address some of my current issues by learning about their experience and/or suggestions.

By Gia Ballard Cox

Today I am attending the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) 2017 Conference. This is the largest annual gathering of compliance and ethics professionals anywhere in the world. We’re already off to a great start. Sunday was the pre-conference event. Today I’m participating in 3 events about promoting compliance in IT. Having a blast as a 1st time attendee.

By Neil Pankau

Thank You to Jim Lord, Harvey Woodford, Andy Hinton, and Xavier Oustalniol for kicking off my CEI conference with a very informative and engaging session relating to third parties. The content was substantive but I especially appreciated their willingness to provide practical information and advice from their experience that made the session worthwhile.

Looking forward to the rest of the conference.

By Sundharesan Jayamoorth

With such a good choice of sessions listed at the SCCE conference at Las Vegas there is enough opportunity to gamble which session to choose, as the choice has to made of a better session from among the best ones. Congratulations to the organisers for compiling an exciting list of sessions to choose‭ from. It is a gamble that needs real luck.

 

By Jennifer Hershberger

This is my first time attending the institute, so I wasn’t sure what I was in for. I walked around and attended a few sessions, but one stood out as my over-all favorite; compliance 101. I will confess I did read their book before hand, so it seemed as though it was a refresher, but I will say everything I read, over and over again, finally all fell into place. They were engaging, knowledgeable and encouraged you to really think about your current compliance structure.

Debbie started out the session saying this would be a basic session on compliance, but I feel as though everything I was struggling to understand was all answered in that one session, and I have been in compliance for 6 years! I would recommend this session to anyone attending any future institute, as well as anyone taking the certification exam.