A fireside chat on ethics with Mr. Richard Bistrong

Ethics Matter. Period.

That statement comes directly from BDP’s core values and is a true testament to the way we operate and conduct our daily business, starting from the top down across all facets of the organization. Last month, the BDP Legal Department was honored to host “fireside chat” sessions with Richard Bistrong, the CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC: a consultancy dedicated to assisting organizations with anti-bribery compliance challenges. Mr. Bistrong worked as a sales and marketing Vice President in the Law Enforcement and Defense sector for over fifteen years, and eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one count of Conspiracy to violating the Foreign Corrupt Policy Act (FCPA). There were two sessions that took place, one in Philadelphia and one in Dubai.

Richard’s story was educational, informative, but also a cautionary tale to the audience. Ethics in the business world must be practiced throughout all levels of the organization, not just one particular department. His message reiterated that each member of a company plays an important role in creating and nurturing an environment that holds ethics as a non-negotiable within daily business practices.

Richard also spoke to the fact that if something seems questionable or “off”, the solution is to speak up and alert management. At BDP International our employees are required to participate in FCPA training, and we have a zero tolerance policy for ethical violations where employees can report any questionable behavior anonymously. Ethics are at the core of everything we do, and our strict adherence to these beliefs and policies shape the way we conduct business on a continual basis. Our commitment to BDP’s ethics program starts at the very top of the organization, and we are pleased to reinforce this imperative way of operating by holding these types of events for our employees and customers.