Corruption in Action: Exchanging Insights with Roxana Bratu

LONDON - Legal and compliance professionals in the corporate corruption space will be very familiar with the increasing regulatory emphasis on culture of compliance in organizations. To bring a new perspective to our work navigating companies and clients through these evolving regulatory expectations, we thought it useful to take a step back and invite friends of FRA’s Women’s Network to consider how individuals’ understanding of corruption in action can vary.

Having studied corruption for more than 15 years, Roxana Bratu (PhD) has conducted field research and lectured widely on what drives corrupt behaviour, why some fail to recognise it when they see it, and what can be done to address root causes. We were delighted to invite her to lead the conversation based on her research in Europe and her personal knowledge of her home country Romania.

We enjoyed a dynamic exchange under Chatham House rule, exploring how the definition and context of corruption changes across regions, economic position and over time. Animated interventions from a range of guests with corporate and law firm anti-corruption experience sparked insightful reflections on “need” versus “greed” corruption, the impact of collectivist versus individualistic cultural mindsets, and the importance of trust in local institutions.

About the FRA Women’s Network

Our informal network aims to bring together legal, forensic and data professionals to share personal experiences and build trusted professional relationships. With more women making their mark in these fields, we hope that this network serves as a springboard for women professionals – at all stages of their career – to connect and support one another in their chosen area within white collar crime matters.