Many organizations are beginning to think differently about who they are recruiting into the compliance structure. Tosin Umukoro, who came to compliance from a background in medical research, discusses how the skill sets the compliance profession requires can be found even in unlikely places.
Backgrounds traditionally associated with compliance are legal, finance and risk. Although the skills associated with these fields will remain central to the compliance function, they will need to be complemented by experience in other areas as the profession is maturing beyond just enforcement and knowledge of the rules. For compliance professionals to advise the business and impact the culture of an organization, the profession will need individuals with the ability to lead and communicate effectively. These, as well as many other transferable skills, can be developed in other professions. Organizations should, therefore, consider recruiting individuals with these skills and invest in training programs to develop the technical skills also required for success.
It Started with a “Project”
I spent the first eight years of my career in various roles within the research function of my current organization. Although I was very familiar with the company – its history, products, customer base and, of course, its employees…
