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This article was created by Willian Lo, Compliance Officer Sodexo in Brazil
This job was (literally) made for me
I often say that I didn’t find compliance, compliance found me. Ten years later, here I am, a compliance officer at Sodexo.
A new field and new opportunities
During law school, I decided to switch over to compliance in 2014. I was initially drawn to the field because it covers everything that I find interesting ౼ ethics, diversity, anticorruption, human rights, supporting society and just being responsible for making sure that integrity prevails inside of a company. At the time, the industry was just starting to gain a bit of traction in Brazil, but it was still slightly unknown ౼ even by me.
The importance of getting it right
Working in compliance at Sodexo has been a motivating, challenging, and exciting journey. I have in mind that if compliance isn't done the right way, it can be seen by fellow employees as a bureaucracy or a set of rules or limitations. On the other hand, when done right, it weaves into the company culture, becomes engraved in people’s day-to-day routines and colleagues see compliance as a valuable partner to the company.
People at the heart of compliance, at the heart of Sodexo
Over the past three years, the thing that has stood out most to me is the importance of relationships. Relationships play a vital role in the success of widespread compliance with stakeholders. I work very close with people in the communications department, human resources, finance and so forth. I also dedicated attention to our leadership in order to get their support. All these efforts together can lead people and businesses into success by doing the right thing.
Compliance can be a very challenging and very important field because it can involve major issues such as fight against corruption, harassment, human rights and equality. This is perhaps the most motivating part of my job ౼ the fact that I can have a real impact on people’s lives. As a compliance officer, my job is essentially to build ethical culture within the company by mitigating risks faced in the business, implement governance, policies and awareness to guide people take the right path.
The reason behind it all
I’ve been able to apply my experience in my role as a SheWorks ambassador in Brazil. Since 2019, the company’s global job shadowing program has been inviting women, especially those living in vulnerable situations, to learn about our business and pairing them up with mentors who can help them progress professionally. I joined SheWorks as a mentor last year and it has been a rewarding and inspiring experience. As I shared my insights with my mentee, a young law student, I began to think about the members within my own team and felt inspired to work even harder to help them grow, achieve their goals and own their careers.
I am proud to work for a company that give us the opportunity to make a difference, support people in the community and my team ౼ it makes me happy as a professional, as a person and as a citizen.