Lessons from the Front Line of Ethics and Compliance
Interview by Ethisphere
CEOs may set the ethical tone from the top, but they need a supporting capable cast to tend to the day-to- day implementation of the company’s compliance and ethics programs. What are these leaders on the “front lines” talking about and doing these days?
E: Tell us what your group is focused on these days.
GR: Our main focus these days is on continuing to push ethics and ethical conduct down to our vendors. We engage hundreds of vendors around the globe and have a number of good tools to help drive the required behavior, but there is always more to do.
E: Are there any particular initiatives that you have found worked well and you would like to share with others?
GR: This isn’t an ad for Ethisphere, but we’re currently launching Ethisphere’s Supplier Risk-Quotient tool to our vendors as a way to accomplish this task. It won’t be a panacea, but one more tool in the toolkit that we’re hopeful will continue to drive the message home.
E: What part of your background has most prepared you for this position?
GR: I’ve been a lawyer for nearly 28 years and in-house for 26 of those. I’d have to say that the variety of matters that I’ve worked on over those years has most prepared me for the role I have today.
E: What keeps you up at night?
GR: The regulatory environment in which we operate continues to get more complex, with more countries adopting new rules designed to address the latest scandal. For the most part, I think that these new rules are beneficial to those operating and investing in these markets, but many countries are trying to extend their reach well beyond their borders in order to protect their citizens and trying to make them all work together can be a challenge.
E: Is there one specific piece of advice that you would like to share that you wished you had known when you first got the job?
GR: Sounds cliché, but making progress in the world of ethics is evolutionary, not revolutionary. There’s no silver bullet and you have to be persistent and be satisfied with the small victories.
E: To whom do you report? What role have they played in the compliance and ethics program?
GR: I report to our Global General Counsel, Mark Ohringer. Mark is a real leader in this area and has really helped to shape our program and drive the ethical culture of our company.
E: What’s the worst job that you have ever held? (Usually it is some job during college or the summer – or possibly even straight out of college) And why?
GR: To help put food on my table (and beer in the fridge) while studying for the Bar Exam, I took a job at a Thoroughbred Farm cleaning out the stalls. The only benefits were that I got paid and a good workout every day.
E: What’s the dumbest/smartest question that someone has ever asked you in an interview, and how did you answer it? (For example, someone reported to us that they were once asked, “If you were a vegetable, what would you be and why?”).
GR: I think that the smartest question I’ve been asked is “how can you help me grow my company?” Lawyers don’t usually get asked that question and it made me realize that the interviewer understood that we can add value to the growth of an organization. If I recall correctly, my answer was that I’d focus on helping him to keep the money that he was making.
Expert Biography
Gordon serves as General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for LaSalle Investment Management and Executive Vice President, Deputy Global General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated
