Over 5000 participants at Europe's largest compliance conference

ECEC 2021: Over 5000 participants at Europe's largest compliance conference

5,500 participants from more than 100 countries, 70 speakers at 30 sessions - the second European Compliance & Ethics Conference (ECEC) this year exceeded even last year's premiere. But it was not only the scale of Europe's largest compliance conference that was new this year, but also the production and the setup of the event: "The event has gotten bigger and better while the setup is incredibly professional. The resources being put into this - in terms of content and production quality - it's all there and it's really putting ECEC on the map. Everyone involved deserves a big thank you," said Christian Hunt, founder and CEO of Human Risk and internationally renowned compliance and ethics expert. For the first time the event - which featured keynotes, presentations, national breakout sessions, interviews and ECEC panel discussion and was presented by Tania Higgins - was streamed worldwide over two days from a Munich film studio.

Transparency International founder Peter Eigen, a veteran of the industry, highlighted the value of ECEC 2021 as a platform for the compliance community in his keynote speech: "I think this is a tremendously powerful group of people, very professional, very important. I hope they will not just ensure their companies and clients comply with the existing rules but that they join us in trying to improve those rules." Earlier, in his opening speech, Achim Weick, CEO and Founder of EQS Group AG, had emphasized: "Transparency and integrity create the most important capital a company has: trust."

Former German Finance Minister Theo Waigel, the first non-US Compliance Monitor, also underlined the importance of ethical behavior: "One company alone cannot change the system. We have to work together as a cartel for good, for a culture of decency and against bribery and corruption."

That there is still much to do in this regard was also highlighted by the Whistleblowing Report 2021, a study compiled by the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden in cooperation with EQS Group, and presented at ECEC 2021. According to the report, only one in seven companies in Germany meets all the requirements of the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive which needs to be implemented in national law by 17 December 2021. "The Directive comes into force in a few months time but many companies are still not sufficiently prepared. Companies should now use the remaining time to introduce an efficient reporting system," explained Professor Dr Christian Hauser, who as project manager led the drafting and compilation of the report.

"It is important that compliance becomes part of the DNA of every company and that employees live these values. We at EQS Group will continue to work towards this in the future - as both ECEC organizer and also as technology provider - by driving forward digitalization in this area", explained Marcus Sultzer, Member of the Management Board at EQS Group, who was particularly pleased that this year networking at the ECEC was not limited to the virtual lounge tables, but could also take place on site at a small get-together at EQS headquarters in line with Corona regulations.

A further conference highlight was the ECEC Award which, for the second year running, went to a French company. In a live poll conference participants decided that this year's ECEC Award should go to Cuidam for its contribution to compliance. The French start-up narrowly beat Siemens AG and Sika AG in the final, who had convinced the jury with their projects in the pre-selection.

The ECEC will take place again in 2022. Pre-register for your ticket here: www.ecec-conference.com We will notify you of conference details in due course.

Contact:
Christian Doll
christian.doll@eqs.com
+49 (0)89 444430-173