Dear TIPS Member,
Welcome to our February 2019 Newsletter!
It was fantastic to see so many of your at our TIPS: One Year On event earlier this month. More than 40 of you heard reflections from both Robert Barrington, Executive Director of TI-UK, and Chris Basiurski, Deputy Head of the Joint Anti-Corruption Unit.
We are trialling a new Newsletter format this month – please let us know what you think. In this issue, we introduce a “Focus on” two TIPS members, so you can become more familiar with other members of the TIPS Network, why they are involved and how they contribute to TIPS.
In addition, we include an update from Robert Barrington himself below. We thank Robert for his continued support of TIPS since our inception and look forward to continuing our important collaboration over the coming months.
We hope to see many of you at the TIPS Networking Drinks on 11 March 2019 (see details below). We also include in this issue a wider range of corruption-related events that may be of interest to you (see page 3).
We look forward to seeing you soon.
- the TIPS team
1. TI-UK Update from Robert Barrington
After more than a decade at TI-UK, Robert Barrington, the Executive Director, will be leaving in September take up a role as Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at Sussex University’s Centre for the Study of Corruption.
Robert has spent over a decade since leaving the City in the fight against corruption and we will continue to take inspiration from his achievements at TI-UK. Robert's announcement here reflects on some of TI’s successes and challenges for the future.
Having attended the recent TIPS ‘One year on’ event, Robert is a passionate supporter of our network and what we have achieved:
“In just a year since its inception, the TIPS network has grown to more than 120 members. The latent power of this network cannot be over-stated.
As a group, it is larger than both TI-UK and the TI global secretariat in Berlin – so if we manage to harness even a little bit of the connections and energy and raw talent and brain-power, TIPS can be a potent force in progressing TI’s mission. TIPS members are instrumental in building the foundations for a better, more transparent future.
I’d like to thank every TIPS member for your time, interest and commitment to this cause.”
2. Upcoming TIPS events
TIPS Networking Drinks
11 March 2019 | 6.30-8pm | The Bootlegger, EC3M 7HR
We look forward to seeing you at our next informal networking drinks event. We will circulate an article with some discussion questions before the event to help spur what we hope will be some engaging discussion.
Many thanks to James Ford and Rebecca Wheeker for organising this event!
3. Upcoming TIPS Affiliate Events
Governance, Capture and Corruption: Evidence and Solutions for a Changed World
5 March 2019 | 6.15pm to 7.30pm | UCL
The President and CEO of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, Daniel Kaufman, will present a lecture with questions including “how costly are mis-governance and corruption?, “is corruption in reality becoming ‘legalised' in many settings?”, and “are some sectors, such as natural resources, and some countries particularly vulnerable, requiring special attention?”. Register here.
Structured Settlements in Corruption Offences: Towards Global Standards?
6 March 2019 | 4.30pm to 8pm | Debevoise and Plimpton
This event is hosted by the International Bar Association, launching a report detailing the approach toward structured settlements taken across 66 countries. Speakers include John Carroll of the Serious Fraud Office and Nicola Bonucci of the OECD. Register here.
15th Annual AML and Financial Crime Seminar
25-26 March 2019 | 9am to 5pm | Herbert Smith Freehills
Hosted by the Anti-Money Laundering Professionals Forum, speakers include HMRC, HM Treasury, the Law Commission, law enforcement and industry experts. The programme for the event can be found here. Register here.
Women in Compliance Conference
27-28 March 2019 | 8am - 5.30pm | Le Meridien
Topics, with a host of international speakers, include lessons learned Post #MeToo, speak up scenarios and gender pay gap reporting. Register here.
Fighting Fraud and Corruption in a Shrinking World
3 April 2019 | 1pm | RUSI Whitehall
A lecture by SFO Director Lisa Osofsky on the challenges posed by globalisation, sophistication of communications technology and growth of data for law enforcement. Register here (RUSI membership required).
5th Annual GIR Live
4 April 2019 | 9am - 5pm | Allen & Overy
Global Investigations Review is a leading name in anti-bribery and corruption. Sessions at this year’s event include an overview of the AML landscape, compliance, and a Question Time style debate on current hot topics in investigations. Register for the event here
4. TIPS Recent Events
TIPS Networking Drinks | Summary
On 30 January 2019, an international crowd of TIPS members representing five different countries met at The Anthologist in the city for an evening of engaging discussion of the interaction between corruption and populism.
James Ford gave a short presentation the background of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as recent corruption allegations levied against him.
This was followed by a lively discussion around the connection between corruption and populism and whether populism is harmful to the anti-corruption movement. Attendees brought perspectives from their home countries of Moldova, Greece, Brunei and Mauritius.
It was a hugely engaging evening. Many thanks to Amy Ling and Max Rossiter for organising.
TIPS: One Year On | Summary
On 12 February 2019, more than 40 people marked the first anniversary of the TIPS Network by attending our TIPS: One Year On event. It was a hugely engaging evening and we hope that you enjoyed the comments from the speakers and the networking drinks afterwards.
Robert Barrington’s presentation of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 (CPI) gave much food for thought – particularly the compelling analysis of how full democracies perform on the CPI compared with autocratic regimes. Read more about the latest CPI here.
Chris Basiurski provided some interesting reflections on his journey from City lawyer to anti-corruption professional as well as educating us on the core elements of the UK Anti-Corruption Strategy. One area for reflection is how we – from the public or private sectors or from the lens of academia – can be part of the collective action movement to help realise the commitments of the Strategy. Read more about the Strategy here and the Year One Update here.
The TIPS team hopes that the reflections on how far the TIPS Network has come over the past 12-18 months gave you cause to think about how you can become more involved with this volunteer network going forwards. As mentioned during the event, the “power of the network” is strong and – while there is much to celebrate on the First Anniversary of TIPS – there is a great deal more untapped potential within and beyond our networks that you can help to realise.
Many thanks to Adam Bakran and James Ford for arranging this event.
5. Other items of interest
EU Petition: Protect Whistleblowers in the EU
In partnership with Eurocadres, WeMove.EU has launched a petition and campaign to support stronger protections for whistleblowers in the EU. Almost 80,000 people have signed the petition already! Read more about the campaign here.
TI-UK Article: Trouble at the Top: Why high-scoring countries aren’t corruption-free
The 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index has written various headlines. How could Denmark be ranked top of the class in light of the Danske Bank scandal? Should the UK be alarmed about falling outside the top 10 in the rankings?
In this article, TI-UK reflects on why high-scoring countries are nor corruption free and clarifies what the CPI does and does not measure. Read more here.
Long read: Russian-Style Kleptocracy is infiltrating America
“American collusion with kleptocracy comes at a terrible cost for the rest of the world.” A bold statement in this thought-provoking piece from the Atlantic. This article explores (among other things) how the proceeds of corruption and tax evasion have been enabled by the regulatory regime in the US. Read more here.