Many companies around the world have formulated internal policies pertaining to the ethical conduct of employees. On Tuesday, February 6, as part of the French-American Chamber of Commerce’s Discussion Series, FACC members and guests met for a Corporate Ethics Panel Discussion.

The development of ethics and compliance programs was explained by Ronald Berenbeim, Principle Researcher and Director of the Conference Board's Working Group on Global Business Ethics Principles. He specifically addressed the increased importance of corporate ethics programs today, and highlighted the impact of the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Mr. Berenbeim also discussed the proliferation of soft law codes and the transfer of responsibility, with regards to compliance, from the government to other institutions.

Gilen Chan, Former Director of Ethics at Citigroup Inc., assessed a number of cultural differences and international developments related to the ethics and compliance industry. According to Ms. Chan, codes of ethics required by U.S. acts and institutions differ dramatically from EU regulations; this is a direct result of the EU's emphasis on individual privacy. Ms. Chan also addressed various situations in which ethics issues arise, explained the proper training required for corporations, and discussed current challenges to ethical corporate behavior.

FACC Member Emmanuel Tchividian, SVP and Chief Ethics Officer at Ruder Finn, offered several real life examples and discussed the scope of his cases, including conflict of interest cases, conflict of values cases, and various internal issues.

After a brief Q&A, members and guests lingered for cocktails and networking. The FACC thanks Emmanuel Tchividian and Ruder Finn for sponsoring and hosting the event.