As ethics and compliance professionals strive to keep pace with evolving expectations in a rapidly globalizing business landscape, measuring program effectiveness—not just existence—has become paramount. That was the central theme of the “Mastering Program Effectiveness in 2025: APAC” webinar, hosted jointly by LRN and the International Compliance Association (ICA).
This insightful session brought together regional and global experts to explore what sets high-performing ethics and compliance programs apart, and how organizations across APAC can close the gap. Drawing on highlights from LRN’s 2025 Ethics & Compliance Program Effectiveness Report, the panel unpacked data trends, cultural nuances, and practical strategies to enhance program impact.
Meet the panelists
- Pekka Dare (President, International Compliance Association) - As moderator, Pekka provided critical framing and steered the conversation through regulatory trends, emerging risks, and the future of compliance in APAC.
- Eric Morehead (Director of Advisory Services, LRN) - Eric walked attendees through the findings of LRN’s latest report, drawing on his background in U.S. regulatory frameworks and over a decade advising organizations on programme maturity.
- June Lau (Head of Compliance, State Street Bank and Trust Company (APAC)) - With prior experience in regulatory roles and financial crime compliance, June brought practical insights into applying data and ethical frameworks in large, complex organizations.
- Darja Galante (Ethics & Compliance Leader, APAC) - Darja shared stories from her career spanning tech, medtech, and manufacturing—offering a candid look at cultural dynamics and frontline realities of driving compliance in APAC.
The 5 key takeaways from the webinar:
1. Effectiveness is now the expectation
Merely having a code of conduct or anti-bribery policy is no longer enough. Regulators and stakeholders are demanding tangible evidence of program effectiveness.
“The real lens and focus now from regulators globally is: How effective is your program? And how can you demonstrate that effectiveness?” said Pekka Dare.
LRN’s 2025 report—now in its 11th year—took a novel approach by surveying both compliance professionals and everyday employees. This dual lens revealed deep gaps in perception between program design and experience, especially among junior staff. Generational shifts in workplace ethics
2. The middle management disconnect
Perhaps the most alarming trend from the report is a growing perception gap between executive leadership and middle management.
“Only 37% of employees trust middle managers to act in alignment with ethical values,” noted Eric Morehead. “That’s down from 60% a few years ago—and that’s a huge red flag.”
Darja Galante emphasized that middle managers often feel caught between performance pressure and ethical decision-making saying that, “If they feel stuck between ethics and results, their default will be to keep themselves safe. But with the right tools and support, they can actually be the best drivers of compliance culture.”
She shared an example where introducing performance metrics tied to ethical behavior—and an anonymous “safe to say no” channel—helped shift culture and build trust.
3. Data is a differentiator
High-impact programs are nearly twice as likely to use data analytics and trend monitoring to guide compliance strategies. Yet many organizations, especially in APAC, struggle to benchmark or fully leverage available insights.
June Lau stressed the importance of using existing systems saying, “we track misconduct data by country and business unit, looking at severity and substantiation rates. Over time, this tells us whether employees trust the system.”
Eric added that budget constraints shouldn’t be a barrier and that you need to “start with what you have. Use HR data, audit data, and public codes of conduct to benchmark. The key is to begin measuring and improving intentionally.”
4. Generational and cultural gaps matter
The report found that Gen Z employees are twice as skeptical as older generations about fairness and ethical leadership. This divide is especially pronounced in Asia, where hierarchical structures can mute open dialogue.
Darja spoke candidly about tailoring engagement, “they don’t trust corporate lip service. They want to see action. We started running peer-led discussions—with a DJ!—and anonymous chatbots for reporting. Engagement spiked.”
June added that gamified training and regular town halls helped make ethics feel more tangible and human: “Gen Z wants more than policies—they want to see leaders walk the talk.”
5. Speak-up culture needs more than a hotline
While many companies have whistleblower policies, few make them real. A strong speak-up culture requires psychological safety, visible enforcement, and clear protections—especially in jurisdictions with weak legal frameworks.
“Anti-retaliation can’t just be a paragraph in the policy,” said Darja. “You need to show employees, through real examples, that the organization is fair, and that reporting is safe.”
June advocated sharing audit data and response outcomes to build transparency, adding that they “even measure how many reports come in anonymously. If that number decreases over time, it means employees are growing in trust.”
Eric also encouraged organizations to explore anonymous reporting tools where legal: “If people don’t feel safe speaking up, you won’t get critical insights—no matter how good your policies look.”
Final thoughts
This webinar underscored the growing complexity of ethics and compliance in APAC—but also offered hopeful, practical ways forward. From empowering middle management and building cross-generational trust, to maximizing available data, high-performing programs are defined by intention, not just investment.
As Pekka closed, “We’ve only scratched the surface, but it’s clear that ethics and compliance must be felt, not just framed.”
To read more about the insights uncovered in the 2025 Ethics & Compliance Program Effectiveness Report, you can access the full report here.
