Richard Bistrong, CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC.

Ask a Compliance Officer Series: Special Guest Commentator - Richard Bistrong gives his Perspective on Today's Challenges and how to Move Ethics and Compliance Forward


By Timothy P. Glynn
Published 2020-05-15


We are continuing our series this week with a slightly different approach. The Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law asked Richard Bistrong, a leading voice in the compliance community, to offer his perspective and suggested strategies for life sciences compliance officers to influence and inspire their front line colleagues. Here are the questions we asked Richard and his very thoughtful response via video.

Currently, we see a confluence of three trends. First, different fraud and corruption risks are emerging in the virtual new normal. Secondly, the compliance resources of life sciences companies are under pressure from both a budgetary and time perspective. Finally, individual employees may be experiencing more pressure to produce business results, in combination with new personal struggles, that is above and beyond what they've ever experienced before.

Do you see any parallels today to what you personally experienced during your career?

What kind of support, infrastructure, cultural shift, etc. from compliance leaders could best address this situation?

What kind of messaging should leaders be delivering and how can they deliver messaging most effectively in this environment?

Richard Bistrong is the CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC and a recognized consultant, blogger, and speaker in the field of anti-bribery compliance. Mr. Bistrong is also a long-time faculty member of the Law School’s U.S. Healthcare Compliance Certificate Program.

Video courtesy of the Seton Hall University School of Law and Richard Bistrong (www.richardbistrong.com). All rights reserved.

Timothy Glynn is the Senior Associate Dean and Andrea J. Catania Endowed Professor of Law. His scholarship focuses on the areas of employment and corporate law, including compliance. He also supervises the Law School's Healthcare Compliance Certificate Programs held in the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Professor Glynn's biography and publications are available online.