Countdown to Europe's largest compliance conference begins - over 4,000 participants registered for ECEC 2021 / Free tickets still available

• Transparency International founder Peter Eigen to deliver keynote at ECEC 2021
• US whistleblower Bradley C. Birkenfeld to speak about how he brought down Swiss banking secrecy
• Presentation of the Whistleblowing Report 2021 survey results - how well prepared are European companies for the EU Whistleblowing Directive?
• ECEC Award 2021: finalists Cuidam, Siemens and Sika in the running

In 6 days' time the second European Compliance & Ethics Conference (ECEC) will open its virtual doors to compliance professionals and experts. Europe's largest compliance conference, for which more than 4,000 participants have already registered this year, offers an exciting program on 6 and 7 October with more than 30 different sessions and many internationally renowned speakers. Keynote speakers include Transparency International founder Peter Eigen, former German Finance Minister Theo Waigel, Christian Hunt, founder and CEO of UK-based consultancy Human Risk, and Dr. Klaus Moosmayer from Novartis, one of the world's most respected compliance and ethics experts. ECEC 2021 tickets are still available for those wishing to take part in the panel discussions, workshops and expert talks.

"We are really excited about our two-day ECEC 2021 agenda because it features so many interesting sessions that it is really difficult to highlight any in particular. That so many high-level international experts from business, academia and politics have confirmed their attendance shows that topics such as whistleblowing and compliance have finally entered the mainstream," says Marcus Sultzer, Member of the Management Board at EQS Group.

To summarize, ECEC 2021 features over 30 sessions and 70 speakers across 2 days. In one session whistleblower and former bank manager Bradley C. Birkenfeld will tell the story of how he disclosed information on his former employer, the major Swiss bank UBS, when he uncovered illegal business practices in the USA. The US citizen enjoyed no protection at the time and served 30 months in prison because of his involvement in the scandal, a judgement which met with great criticism from many interest groups. But following his release, "Lucifer's banker" as he calls himself in his book title (subtitle: "The untold story of how I destroyed Swiss banking secrecy"), received a $104 million reward from the US Internal Revenue Service which collected billions in taxes thanks to the information he provided.

The Whistleblowing Directive: A key issue for the future for companies with > 249 employees

One of the main topics of the conference will be the EU Whistleblowing Directive which comes into force on 17 December 2021 and obliges companies with 250 or more employees to establish an internal reporting channel. On day 2 of the conference Professor Christian Hauser from the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden will present the results of the Whistleblowing Report 2021 which examines, among other things, how well prepared European companies are for the requirements of the EU Whistleblowing Directive and what impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on levels of reporting in companies.

Finalists selected for ECEC Award 2021 for outstanding compliance projects

Three finalists are in the running to receive the ECEC Award 2021. Many applications were received, but the international jury finally selected Siemens AG with its new groundbreaking Sprint project which takes compliance training to a new level and Swiss multinational Sika AG with its campaign to promote ethical leadership, diversity and integrity. In addition, the jury also selected French start-up Cuidam which uses its whistleblowing app to help employers create an abuse-free workplace. The winner of the award will be decided by conference participants in a live vote at the end of day 1 of the conference.

Information on the ECEC Award 2021, as well as on all keynotes, presentations and workshops and how to register, can be found at: European Compliance & Ethics Conference

Contact:

Christian Doll

[email protected]
+49 (0)89 444430-173