The Global Ethics Summit (GES) provides Chief Ethics and Compliance Officers from the world’s largest organizations with the information and insights to better answer board questions, better defend program decisions, and better lead through uncertainty and transformation. Read on to learn more about seven specific ways in which GES positions you for success.
1. Pressure-Test Your Program Against Real Peers
CECOs are often asked to explain how their E&C program compares to industry benchmarks or to those of their peers.
GES is one of the few compliance conferences where that question can be explored honestly.
This agenda is intentionally structured to bring CECOs together in peer-to-peer conversations and small-group sessions, not just large plenary rooms. These sessions allow leaders to:
- Validate assumptions about program maturity
- Compare approaches to emerging risks
- Reality-check decisions before taking them to the board
With participation capped in many peer sessions, the conversations are candid, practical, and grounded in real experience, not theory or marketing. And they also exemplify how there is no competition in compliance, and that is especially true at GES, when attendees gladly share what they know with their peers.
2. Learn From Programs in Action, Not Abstract Models
Many CECOs already know what regulators currently expect, but that they need is insight into how leading organizations are actually executing on those expectations.
The Global Ethics Summit places a strong emphasis on Programs in Action—sessions led by BELA member companies that go behind the scenes on:
- What they implemented
- Why they made specific choices
- What worked, what failed, and what they would change
These sessions consistently rank among the most valuable on the agenda and are a direct response to attendee feedback calling for more real-world case examples .
3. Strengthen Your Board and Executive Narrative
For many CECOs, the hardest part of the role is not running the program, it is explaining its value and effectiveness to senior leadership.
GES addresses this head-on with sessions focused on:
- Data-driven storytelling
- Board-ready metrics and KPIs
- Translating complex program initiatives into executive-level narratives
Plenary sessions such as “Speak the Language of the Board with Data-Driven Stories” reflect the reality that CECOs are increasingly expected to operate as strategic advisors, not just technical experts .
4. Navigate Emerging Risk with Credible Perspective
CECOs attend GES to stay ahead of issues that are still taking shape, including:
- AI in investigations, monitoring, and reporting
- Retaliation risk and speak-up culture
- Third-party risk as a continuous lifecycle
- Ethical leadership during crisis and disruption
- DEI initiatives amid evolving legal and political pressure
What makes these conversations so valuable are the people in the room who are leading them: leaders from organizations facing the same regulatory, reputational, and operational realities.
5. Engage in Deep Learning, Not Drive-By Sessions
The 2026 Global Ethics Summit introduced 90-minute breakout blocks in response to attendee feedback calling for:
- More depth
- Fewer rushed sessions
- Greater opportunity for interaction and discussion
This format allows CECOs to step out of reactive mode and engage more thoughtfully with peers and experts on complex topics that do not lend themselves to quick answers.
6. Be Part of a Trusted Ethics & Compliance Community
Many CECOs describe their role as professionally isolating. GES helps counter that.
Beyond formal programming, the Summit creates space for:
- Informal peer connections
- Industry-specific roundtables
- Relationship-building across the BELA community
For first-time attendees, this often becomes one of the most enduring benefits, access to a network of peers who can be trusted long after the event ends.
7. Invest Time Where the ROI Is Clear
Time away from the office is a real cost for senior leaders. CECOs attend GES because it consistently delivers:
- Practical takeaways they can apply immediately
- Peer insights they cannot get elsewhere
- Confidence that their program decisions are aligned with leading practices
Attendee feedback highlights that GES is not about volume of content, but relevance and applicability, a distinction that matters at the executive level .
Why CECOs Keep Coming Back
For CECOs, the Global Ethics Summit is more than a conference. It is:
- A checkpoint for program maturity
- A forum for honest peer dialogue
- A source of defensible insight in a high-pressure role
Whether attending in person or virtually, CECOs choose GES because it respects their time, their responsibilities, and the complexity of their role.
Learn More
Explore the agenda, session formats, and registration options at AttendGES.com.
Bill Coffin | Editor-in-Chief, Ethisphere Magazine, Ethisphere
Bill Coffin is the Editor-in-Chief of Ethisphere Magazine and supports the larger content strategy of Ethisphere. He is an internationally recognized writer and editorial leader in the fields of ethics, compliance, insurance and risk management. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes and Fortune, as well as Compliance Week, National Underwriter, Risk Management, Best’s Review and other B2B media. Previously, Bill served as Director, Senior Editor at AIG, leading content strategy for one of the world’s largest insurance companies.
