Reinforcing the system of preventive checks and of the ethical and reputational control measures in the awareness that a commitment to an effective compliance is a prerequisite for creating value to support the business. From this perspective, the value of the company’s reputation is of key importance, becoming an essential element for ensuring the credibility, sustainability, and competitiveness of any company in the long-term. These were the topics discussed in the morning session of the 2021 Compliance Council, opened by the Group General Counsel of Leonardo, Andrea Parrella. The event offered an opportunity to illustrate, among other things, the update of the internal procedures and directives that regulate the Group’s Compliance processes, including the implementation of the revised Business Compliance Risk Grid to enable an even more accurate analysis of the risk factors to be assessed prior to the appointment of sales promoters or commercial advisors as business partners.
A strong supporter of the compliance initiatives, the CEO Alessandro Profumo stated that: “transparency and compliance with the rules are two of the principles that form the basis of a company’s sustainability. Clear information, confidence in what they are proposing and management strategies in line with the laws in force put stakeholders in a position to “read” what the company is, and count on it: on its processes, choices, actions and, more in general, its strategy”. The Compliance function therefore plays a fundamental role, because it contributes, every day, to protect and reinforce the most valuable asset of any company: its good name, or reputation. A value which, as the CEO reminded us, “is built with great commitment and dedication over many years, but can collapse in a second due to one wrong move”. A company’s success therefore depends on having a system of tried and tested rules that must be constantly updated and shared by everyone.
Alessandro Profumo – Andrea Parrella
Andrea Parrella
In the afternoon session, moderated by the journalist Monica Maggioni, many guests and speakers took the stage at the Compliance Council, animating an intense debate followed by over 700 people connected in streaming from 14 countries, in addition to the 215 participants physically present. The Anti-Corruption System and 231 Model were the core of the speech by the Leonardo Chairman, Luciano Carta, who reminded the attendees that, regardless of the ongoing debate among jurists about the need to update the law now, twenty years after it was first passed, the principle at the basis of the legislative choice has remained the same: “the will to promote public and private cooperation in the fight against financial crime. The State and a country’s businesses are not enemies, but rather joint protagonists and allies in the promotion of a policy designed to combat crime that is more effective on several levels. Preventing crime - emphasised the Chairman - is a benefit for the business, before anything else.” Of the possible changes to be made to the 231 Model, the Leonardo Chairman pinpointed those that “according to certain observers, could be extended to the use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, for example, in the implementation of compliance strategies.” These same thoughts were reiterated by Giuseppe Busia, President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority, for whom compliance “is a choice worth making because rules of good management are what stimulate competition”.
Luciano Violante and Luciano Carta
Then, a training session on our integrated compliance and anti-corruption system was performed, with an interesting speech by Mr. Riccardo Olivo, Senior Partner of the legal firm Vassalli Olivo e Associati, which focused in particular on the new crime of influence peddling.
In the panel with the General Manager of Leonardo, Lucio Valerio Cioffi, the Chairman of the Med-Or Foundation, Marco Minniti, shared some thoughts on the context in which large global players like Leonardo operate: “Today there are less intermediates in the world, but it is also more connected. There are two pivotal areas we need to discuss: one is the America-Asia block and the other is composed of Europe and Africa. In this context, according to Minniti, solid relationships between countries need to be built over time, focusing on the so-called “Community Offset”, fostering relationships that favour the cultural exchange and development of the local communities.
Marco Minniti
Luciano Violante, Chairman of the Leonardo - Civiltà delle Macchine Foundation, stressed the role of the Leader, who must be capable of engaging everyone, raising the sense of identity and pride in being a part of the company. The Company’s reputation is inevitably transmitted through the personal reputation of its individuals, underlined Chairman Violante. “There is a need to inform the country - he continued - about what large State-controlled companies like Leonardo are, how they operate and what they represent, also in terms of innovation and qualified employment, and how they can make a decisive contribution to training our country’s leadership”.
Stefano Speroni, Director of Legal Affairs and Commercial Negotiations of ENI, and Giulio Fazio, Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs at ENEL, used real cases to share their experiences of the risks related to the selection of commercial partners and of the central role played by ethical values and respect for human rights in the management of the business.
Over the years, compliance has become an integral part of the corporate culture, as confirmed by all the members of the Top Management of Leonardo who took part in the debate throughout the day, in the various panels and through the video contributions: Alessandra Genco, Chief Financial Officer; Simonetta Iarlori, Chief People, Organization and Transformation Officer; Enrico Savio, Chief Strategy & Market Intelligence Officer; Marco Di Capua, Chief Audit Executive; Pasquale Di Bartolomeo, Chief Commercial Officer, Salvatore Lampone, Chief Risk Officer; Giovanni Soccodato, Chief Strategic Equity Officer; Andrea Salpietro, Chief Security Officer, and Renata Mele, Head of Sustainability.