3 Things I’ve Learned from the Front Line of Consumer Protection

Since founding SYBAL , I have been lucky enough to speak with incredible people in the field of compliance, risk, and law - those working 1st line, 2nd line, and 3rd line defense in their unique areas of expertise to help organizations optimize outcomes while maintaining compliance with internal guidelines, as well as state and federal regulations. I am blown away by their journeys into the space of compliance, legal interpretation, analysis, policy, and governance.

I have learned a lot about what it takes to serve, lead, and protect consumers behind the scenes as well as some of the challenges that exist on the front line. I will not share our individual conversations and nothing within is specific to any of their organizations, but I want to share a few things I have learned about the importance compliance experts and the impact I believe they can have in driving innovation forward in a sustainable and responsible way.

Compliance experts diagnose but need more time to collaborate and innovate.

In the beginning of any regulated entity, exists a set of policies, procedures, systems, and controls (the program) that direct and control the input and output of that organization. As it engages its consumers, the dynamic nature of the business begins to put the program and the teams using and governing it to the test. Those on the front lines are charged with diagnosing and interpreting risk, evaluating what is or is not working well, and taking corrective action. This is quite labor-intensive and has many intersecting layers that must each consider the work of the others.

Imagine the weight of this responsibility, in constant “defense mode” to protect consumers that trust an organization to maintain an environment in which they too can thrive. But if teams are in constant defense mode, it leaves little time for collaboration with other departments to create programs that support and drive innovation forward.

More time is needed for the front line to be active participants in an organization’s innovation efforts and key initiatives. ??

Compliance experts have much to contribute.

Compliance experts are constantly tasked with interpreting regulations in a way that enables them to draft policy that is understandable and can be put into practice by the organization. This requires an incredible amount of creativity and thoughtful consideration across existing policies, frameworks, jurisdictions, departments, and multiple product lines. Compliance experts are natural strategists, daily exercising their ability to compute and factor the impact of their programs in fast-paced and demanding environments. Despite the challenges this creates, I’ve learned that compliance experts are in their roles because they care about the outcome. They care about getting it right for the organization and consumers their programs protect.

These intrinsic qualities greatly contribute to the quality of an organization’s input and output. ?

Creativity, strategy, and care matter during innovation.

We are witnessing an age of rapid innovation, and we are also witnessing the importance of regulation, clarity of that regulation, and the programs that drive compliance to the same. I believe, it is the creativity, strategy, and care of those leading on the front lines of consumer protection that will help product development teams achieve sustainable and responsible innovation. That is, innovation that delivers value to the consumer beyond initial use and in a way that prioritizes their safety long-term.

This is the type of innovation consumers want and are demanding.

Thank You

To those that I have had an opportunity to speak with, thank you for what you do! To those I have yet to connect with, please connect with me and let’s get on the calendar to further discussions on the impact of good governance. - Christine Sanni

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