6th Conference on Ethics & Governance: “Compliance at Risk” on 14 September 2023

Link to registration: https://eventfrog.ch/complianceatrisk

ACFE, in partnership with the FER, and in coordination with the IIA Switzerland (Institute of Internal Auditors), ACAMS Switzerland (Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering), and the ECS (Ethic and Compliance Switzerland), is pleased to invite you and your guests to the 6th Conference on Ethics & Governance. Participants will get 10 CPE (online 8 CPE), including the 2 mandatory required by the ACFE and IIA on ethic.

Topic: “Compliance at Risk – From Economic Warfare to Tax Evasion, how to face legal challenges in a globalized economy”

In 2009, Alstom was under investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for corruption. Thanks to an extraterritorial law, the FCPA (“Foreign Corrupt Practices Act”), the United States succeeded in waging an economic war. On April 14, 2013, Frédéric Pierucci, a senior Alstom executive, was arrested during a trip to the United States and imprisoned in a high-security prison where he spent fourteen months before being released on bail on June 12, 2014, the same week that the French government agreed to the sale of Alstom’s energy division to General Electric.

This example illustrates the war governments are waging with increasingly complex laws, making them difficult to enforce. Legal and control departments feel helpless and are often confronted with contradictory instructions from their management: strict compliance with the law, while instructing to take a “pragmatic” approach, to ensure the sustainability of the business by focusing on growth and profitability.

Conference Schedule

9:00 – 9:30 Check-in with Coffee

9:30 – 9:45 Opening remarks.
9:45 – 10:15 The New Age of ultra-compliance – Challenges and opportunities for Board of Directors

• • Marie-Noëlle Zen-Ruffinen, Of Counsel at NKF, Titular Professor at UNIGE, member of the Board of Directors of the Baloise Group, Member of the Board of Director of Ina Invest Holding, Vice-Chair of Banco Santander International SA, Vice-Chair of the Swiss Board Institute

10:15 – 11:00 Tax evasion at two speeds – An optimization tool for companies at the expense of the people

• • Philippe Petitcolin, Secretary of the Social and Economic Committee of General Electric – Belfort, who has worked on the issue of tax evasion at General Electric
  • Maximilien Malbête, Specialist in transfer pricing and economic law

11:00 – 11:30 Break-out coffee: Meet Antifraud- and Compliance organizations 

11:30 – 12:15 Economic warfare in the name of transparency – The Alstom case or the hypocrisy of anti-corruption laws

• • Frédéric Pierucci, Former executive of Alstom

12:15 – 13:00 Panel “Towards a new approach to ensure a more efficient and intelligent compliance”

• • Maxime Renahy, Whistleblower – Jersey leaks
  • Patrick Wellens, Board member of Ethics and Compliance – Switzerland
  • Yves Bertossa, 1st public prosecutor of the Republic and Canton of Geneva
  • Audrey Milesi, President of ACAMS – Switzerland

13:00 – 14:00 Networking Lunch with the Speakers

14:00 – 14:45 Fraud & Food – Which controls to ensure the safety of the products?

• • Christophe Brusset, Food engineer, whistleblower and author (“You’re crazy to swallow that!”. “And now what do we eat?”, “The impostors of organic food”, “Junk food counter-attack”)
  • Patrick Edder, State Chemist at the Geneva Consumer and Veterinary Affairs Department

14:45 – 15:15 Welcome to the lobbyists – A necessary counter-power or a scourge to fight?

• • Nicolas Ravailhe, Lawyer, Specialist in European strategy, founder of the company Eurageis acting in European initiatives

15:15 – 15:45 Break-out coffee: Discussions with speakers and sponsors

15:45 – 16:30 Business secrecy – When transparency comes second.

• • Alexis Sesmat, Member of the inter-union of General Electric – Belfort, having filed a complaint with the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office for money laundering, tax fraud, breach of trust, forgery and aggravated handling of stolen goods, creator of the association APSIIS – association for the protection of local engineering activities in the energy market)

16:30 – 17:15 Panel discussion “Towards the necessity of a stronger independence of control bodies and the publicity of public and private audits?”

• • Patrick Edder, State Chemist at the Geneva Consumer and Veterinary Affairs Department
  • Yves Steiner, Audit Expert, Court of Auditors – Canton of Vaud, Former Head of the “Transparency and Publication” domain at the Swiss Federal Audit Office
  • Christian Bovet, Professor at the University of Geneva, Center for Banking and Financial Law
  • Sebastien Fanti, Lawyer, former state official responsible for data protection, State of Valais

17:15 – 17:30 Presentation of the 7th Conference, Save the date. Closing remarks by the Managing Director of the FER

17:30 – 19:00 Networking Apéro and Compliance Boost

The conference will be held in French and English with simultaneous translation available.The conference is also available online (live), both in French and English.

Registration

Number of seats limited – Link to registration: https://eventfrog.ch/complianceatrisk