Amanda Raad Talks About Why Corporate Compliance and Culture Matters in Corporate Crime Reporter

In an interview with Corporate Crime Reporter, litigation & enforcement partner and R&G Insights Lab co-leader Amanda Raad commented on how data analytics and behavioral science are increasingly informing regulators’ assessment of compliance programs. These frameworks “tell the story of [a company’s] culture,” Amanda said. “Data is a tool that can be used to proactively bolster a compliance program as well as to defend a company in response to enforcement action.”

R&G Insights Lab was born out of this idea. “It is the home within Ropes & Gray… where we bring in the data scientists and behavioral scientists to join forces with the firm…to identify the culture and test the culture over time.”

Rather than simply serving as “window dressing,” a compliance program can and should contribute meaningful and measurable value to an organization. “So much time and energy and resources have been expended to make sure companies have a compliance framework and structure, that they have policies and procedures, that they have a program for training and monitoring. We have moved to a place where most organizations understand that. But the real test is—does any of it mean anything? Do people actually know what the company’s policy is on a particular issue? Where to go for help, what the training is telling them, do people feel comfortable raising their hand and speaking up if they have a concern? It’s going beyond the paper to understand what the ethics, values and culture at an organization is.”