Global Ethics and Compliance Symposium 2026

Exploring the New Frontiers of Chief Ethics and Compliance Officers in Organizations

• Date: April 14 and 15, 2026
• Location: FHGR Campus Zurich, Limmatstrasse 21, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland, and online (only April, 15)
• Language: English
• Organizers: PRME Working Group on Anti-Corruption, PRME Business Integrity Action Center at University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, Ethics and Compliance Switzerland (ECS), and United Nations Global Compact

Main Event

The role of the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) is undergoing a profound transformation. While the CECO’s initial focus was on anti-corruption compliance and risk mitigation, the role now requires navigating a complex landscape of regulatory demands, geopolitical volatility, rapid technological advancements, and heightened expectations regarding corporate purpose and integrity in relation to diverse environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.

The Global Ethics and Compliance Symposium 2026 is a one-and-a-half-day hybrid event designed to explore these new frontiers. Moving beyond the conventional “check-the-box” compliance mentality, the symposium will explore how the ethics and compliance function can become a strategic driver of long-term business value and sustainable success.

The event will bring together leading scholars and practitioners from around the globe, including representatives from the UN system, international organizations, private corporations, and the third sector. Through inspiring keynote speeches, dynamic panel discussions, and interactive breakout sessions, participants will critically examine the evolving challenges and opportunities facing the ethics and compliance function. Key themes will include navigating geopolitical fragmentation, integrating ethics with compliance, shifting perceptions of the function from a cost center to a value driver, and addressing the implications of artificial intelligence in ethics and compliance practices.

The symposium is a vital platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaborative strategy development. It aims to provide ethics and compliance professionals with the insights necessary to strengthen and develop their roles in organizations during this time of profound change. This will help the ethics and compliance function remain relevant by enabling organizations to adhere to the law and thrive ethically and responsibly.

Side Event: Shaping the UNGC & PRME Collaboration with the New Head of PRME

This interactive workshop will take place in the afternoon on April 14, 2026. It will will explore ways to further align the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) to promote long-term, sustainable change. Participants will strategize ways for UNGC Local Networks, PRME Chapters, PRME Working Groups, and UNGC Action Platforms to collaborate. Through presentations of impactful case studies, such as collaboration with the Business Integrity Action Center, PRME Working Group on Anti-Corruption, and UNGC Anti-Corruption programmatic work, the session will demonstrate how academic research directly accelerates corporate sustainability.

Another central pillar is securing the future talent pipeline. Participants will discuss how UNGC-PRME collaboration can link responsible management education with corporate recruitment.

The goal is to develop a roadmap for institutionalized UNGC-PRME cooperation at different levels, including a blueprint for regional events and a robust knowledge-to-practice pipeline that grounds responsible business conduct in rigorous research.

Preliminary Program – April 14, 2026

• 13:30: Registration and reception
• 14:00: Workshop: Shaping the UNGC & PRME Collaboration with the New Head of PRME
• 15:15: Coffee Break
• 15:45: Workshop (continuation): Shaping the UNGC & PRME Collaboration with the New Head of PRME
• 18:00: Apéro Riche – Networking dinner with hors d’oeuvres

Preliminary Program – April 15, 2026

• 08:30: Registration and reception
• 09:00: Welcome speeches
• 09:15: Keynote speech I: The Chief Ethics und Compliance Officer as Corporate Diplomat: Upholding Integrity in an Era of Polarization
• 09:45: Panel discussion I: The Geopolitical Compass: Navigating Ethics and Compliance Through an Increasingly Fragmented World
• 10:30: Breakout session I: The Geopolitical Compass: Navigating Ethics and Compliance Through an Increasingly Fragmented World: 11:00: Coffee Break
• 11:30: Panel discussion II: Beyond the Rulebook: Fusing Compliance with Ethics
• 12:15: Breakout session II: Beyond the Rulebook: Fusing Compliance with Ethics
• 12:45: Lunch break
• 13:45: Panel discussion III: From Cost Center to Value Driver: How Ethics and Compliance Fuel Business Success
• 14:30: Breakout session III: From Cost Center to Value Driver: How Ethics and Compliance Fuel Business Success
• 15:00: Keynote speech II: The Chief Ethics & Assurance Officer: Why Good Governance Calls for an Evolving Role of the Chief Compliance Officer
• 15:30: Coffee Break
• 16:00: Panel discussion IV: From Code to Conduct: Steering Ethics and Compliance into an AI-Powered Future
• 16:45: Breakout session IV: From Code to Conduct: Steering Ethics and Compliance into an AI-Powered Future
• 17:15: Keynote speech III
• 17:45: Wrap-up of the event
• 18:00: Apéro Riche – Networking dinner with hors d’oeuvres

Registration and Cancellation Terms

• Participation is free of charge.
• Attendance is limited to 50 people on site, who will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Due to the limited capacity of the on-site event, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours in advance if you cannot attend in person. Otherwise, we reserve the right to charge a no-show fee of CHF 200.