Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the Board must exercise reasonable oversight on the effectiveness of a company’s compliance program. The DOJ Prosecution Standards posed the following queries: 1) Do the directors exercise independent review of a company’s compliance program? and 2) Are directors provided information sufficient to enable the exercise of independent judgment? Moreover, the FCPA Resource Guide, 2nd edition required a CCO to have direct access to the Board or an appropriate sub-committee and requires a tangible See more +
Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the Board must exercise reasonable oversight on the effectiveness of a company’s compliance program. The DOJ Prosecution Standards posed the following queries: 1) Do the directors exercise independent review of a company’s compliance program? and 2) Are directors provided information sufficient to enable the exercise of independent judgment? Moreover, the FCPA Resource Guide, 2nd edition required a CCO to have direct access to the Board or an appropriate sub-committee and requires a tangible commitment from the top levels of an organization, starting with the Board of Directors, that the company creates an ethical culture.
Three key takeaways:
The Board Compliance Committee exists to provide oversight and assist the CCO, not to substitute its judgment for that of the CCO.
The Board Compliance Committee should work to hold the CCO accountable to hit appropriate metrics.
The Board Compliance Committee is ideal for leading the efforts around strategic planning. See less -