When you're building a company from scratch, the most painful body blows can turn out to be the most valuable experiences.

This punch to the gut came for my company in 2012 when one of our anchor clients, accounting for about a thir...

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. It's a nugget of wisdom (courtesy of heavyweight boxing great Mike Tyson) that companies would do well to heed when it comes to international compliance risks.

While many larg...

Leaks of customer data, corrupt practices by foreign agents, IT breaches. These are just some of the biggest risks that companies face with their third-party relationships. Despite the known dangers, few get it right when it comes to budgeting fo...

Early life science pioneers in foreign markets earned a reputation for lax ethical behaviour, making them a prime target for regulators. Though pharmaceutical firms and medical device makers have cleaned up their acts, regulatory hasn't really...

General counsels have evolved to become far more than just corporate lawyers. They are now a core part of executive teams, expected to show expertise in a range of financial and business areas, plus oversee legal and compliance matters. And thatâ...

Your sales team has identified and engaged with a promising new overseas distributor. The group is thrilled. They show you how the relationship could improve access to customers and boost company growth. But are you informed as to whether the pot...

Every now and then the geopolitical pendulum makes a decisive swing and the effects reverberate through economies as well as manufacturers and their supply chains. This feels like one of those moments as a new U.S. administration takes office wit...

Life sciences companies tend to consider themselves leaders when it comes to compliance policies.

In one sense they're right. The close sales relations between their distribution agents and state-linked doctors and hospitals have lo...

Sometimes even the gold standard still isn't enough. Since 1995, company leaders and their corporate counsel have leaned on a single, well-respected measure to gauge vulnerability to bribery and corruption risks around th...

Typically, working with higher-risk third parties can creep up on a company that is either high growth or in a more regulated industry.

In the earlier part of their growth stories, most companies essentially wing it when it comes to...

As global M&A activity surges again after a brief Covid-19-related slump, it's a sure bet some acquiring companies will be inheriting unpleasant surprises along with their new partners.

One of the most underrated acquisition per...