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Ethisphere’s 2021 Global Ethics Summit Agenda to Focus on ESG, Behavioral Science, Data Analytics, Third Party Risk Management, and More

2021 theme to address the historic challenges highlighted by the events of last year and how the business community is adapting to become better. The Summit will feature a three-day live virtual event, and six additional months of programming, across a variety of digital formats.

Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, today announced a selection of sessions added to the agenda for the 12th Annual Global Ethics SummitThe Summit will take place virtually, from April 13-15, 2021. Registration and early-bird discounts are in effect through March.

To learn more and to register, visit https://globalethicssummit.ethisphere.com

As the premier annual business ethics assembly, this year’s breakthrough innovative digital experience will improve upon previous years, featuring contributions from CEOs, Board of Directors, Chief Legal Officers/General Counsels, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officers, HR leaders, and business influencers. The conversations will address the shifting priorities brought on by the global pandemic, and social justice issues—extending beyond the traditional areas of focus—offering practical advice and innovative approaches to some of the biggest challenges ranging from: impacting mental health, ESG, data analytics, behavioral science, talent retention, “presenteeism” in a hybrid working environment, and much more.

“A virtual Summit provides an exciting moment for participants with a completely new blueprint for remodeling this flagship event—one of the most important in its field. While there is no replacement for the relationships developed in person, a professional, digital experience will improve upon the ways we can distribute shared knowledge, and support a larger base of leaders in ways that will change behaviors at major multinational companies,” said Kevin McCormack, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance. “Our 2021 theme acknowledges more than a year of unprecedented challenges, and it will feature companies that are leading a surge of spirit and solutions to become better and more capable on the other side of the pandemic, as we continue to engage on issues of diversity, inclusion and racial justice. To date, this could be our most important Summit for business leaders.”

Under the premise of companies sharing leading practices and communally working to improve long-term business performance, Ethisphere’s member-driven Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) continues to serve as a convener of respected institutions, to drive greater business integrity. This association of more than 315-member organizations worldwide illustrates Ethisphere’s strong commitment to helping organizations better engage in business ethics, compliance, and governance, a key component of business success in today’s environment. Many of these member companies are heavily involved with the Global Ethics Summit and are hands-on with their support of the BELA community, as they learn from some of the world’s most respected industry leaders.

The 12th Annual Global Ethics Summit will showcase more companies and feature additional, provocative points of view while bringing together a larger community of leaders. In an effort to facilitate the ongoing discussions throughout the year, the Summit will provide attendees, faculty, and sponsors with 50+ hours of content, interactive workshops, and on-demand content for all company leaders throughout 2021.

Some agenda highlights include:

  • Equity & Social Justice: The Necessary Influence of the Business Community to Address What Divides Us
  • CEO Conversation: New Strategies for Creating Stakeholder Value for the Long-Term
  • Turning Benchmarking into a True Improvement Model
  • Behavioral Science: Are There Better Ways to Influence Humans so the Culture Thrives?
  • Ethical Culture: It Can Be Measured…But What Will It Tell You and Will It Matter?
  • Ongoing Challenge of Effective ESG Reporting and Data Disclosure
  • M&A: New Tools and Process so that Compliance is an Enhancement to Any Deal
  • Corporate Influence and Reputation: Tracking and Measuring Business Perceptions and Making Sense of the Road Ahead
  • Designing and Building a Global Compliance Champion Program

“As we hear the term ‘follow the science’ used time-and-time again, it is important that business and ethics leaders take heed and recognize the science behind our work,” said Terry Stringer, Head of Ethics and Compliance Office & Center of Excellence at HP. “Influencing cultures, creating effective data-based ESG programs, and introducing new tools and processes to advance business strategies is a science and it ought to be viewed that way. The Global Ethics Summit is a chance for ethics and data ‘scientists’ to gather together, share best practices and implement the right kind of changes that create a more effective and productive business ecosystem.”

With the complexity of issues companies in our sector or those companies with a similar global footprint, the importance of this Summit is at a premium for the diverse range of responsibilities we as Chief Compliance Officers need to address,” said Sidney Majalya, Vice President, Legal & Chief Compliance Officer at Intel Corporation. “Whether it is our commitment to addressing Human Rights or how we can more effectively address investigations under remote working conditions, both of which Intel will address specifically during the Summit, this is a rich set of topics and influencers impacting every corner of the business. Each year this Summit has a remarkable way of connecting the community so we can collectively examine problems and offer practical ways of overcoming them. This bolsters business performance and helps us as a profession enable much need societal changes as well.”

 

“The legal profession can play a major role in helping companies adapt to new environments while controlling risks that could impact a company’s bottom line or its brand value,” said Nancy Berardinelli-Krantz, Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Digital, Innovation, and Technology at Eaton. “The Global Ethics Summit offers compliance leaders, and the legal community a great opportunity to see what other companies are doing to meet the needs of customers in what is currently a chaotic environment. We can have a positive impact if business leaders continue to drive real, positive change aligned with regulatory and compliance priorities.”

 

Corporate integrity is not ‘greenwashing’ or being seen to be doing the right thing,” said Tony Jordan, EY Americas Forensic & Integrity Services Leader. “Particularly during a crisis, integrity and a focus on compliance are paramount. It means behaving in a way that protects the organization and generates long-term value for communities and other stakeholders.

 

As part of our Ask the Experts series, which will be launched in advance of this year’s Global Ethics Summit, we’ve invited a handful of business leaders to lend their insights into some of today’s most pressing topics. This video series will be available in late-March, and the conversations are driven by topics and questions submitted by the Global Ethics Summit attendees. Featured conversations include: Bruce Karpati, Partner, Global Chief Compliance Officer, KKR; Lucy Fato, EVP, General Counsel & Global Head of Communications and Government Affairs, AIG; John Gerzema, CEO, The Harris Poll, and Don Sinko, Chief Integrity Officer, Cleveland Clinic. To submit a question or to learn more about the Ask the Experts series, click here.

Now in its 12th year, the 3-day digital Summit experience will provide:

  • An extended Global Ethics Summit experience: With programming initiated in February, this year’s Global Ethics Summit will offer value beyond content and thought leadership opportunities throughout 2021.
  • 80+ Faculty: A combination of CEOs, corporate directors, CLOs, Chief Compliance, and Chief Ethics Officers, will anchor numerous sessions with everything from thought-provoking insights on societal progress to tactical programmatic changes to better address risk in this business climate.
  • 50+ Hours of Content: Through an “ask the experts function,” attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions online and receive immediate feedback from company leaders on pressing issues. An “ongoing company showcase” feature will also allow attendees to see real-time examples and engage with the other teams regarding issues that are important to them.
  • Expert Panels with pan-industry insights: Senior executives from top multinational companies will set the tone during keynotes alongside topical focused panel sessions with leading ethics and compliance leaders sharing insights and experiences on key components of successful programs.
  • Interactive workshops: A series of small, intimate, knowledge-sharing sessions structured to encourage satellite group video discussions around key topics and challenges companies are facing today.

Registration is open for the 2021 Global Ethics Summit, with early bird rates for tickets and team passes in effect. Complimentary passes are available to BELA members. To learn more and to register, visit: https://globalethicssummit.ethisphere.com/.

Learn more about the Global Ethics Summit Advisory Committee.

Follow the conversation on Twitter under the hashtag, #GlobalEthicsSummit21.

About BELA

Founded by Ethisphere, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) is a globally recognized organization of leading companies collaborating together to share best practices in governance, risk management, compliance, and ethics. BELA’s membership has since grown to a large community of companies who recognize the inherent value of promoting ethical leadership and world-class compliance culture. Learn more about BELA by visiting http://bela.ethisphere.com. To nominate a company to join BELA, contact Director of Member Engagement Sarah Neumann at [email protected].

About Ethisphere

Ethisphere® is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust, and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere is also the leading provider of independent verification of corporate ethics and compliance programs that include Ethics Inside® Certification and Compliance Leader Verification™. More information about Ethisphere can be found at https://ethisphere.com.

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Media Contact

​Aarti Maharaj​, Director of Communications
[email protected]
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