‘Good Regulation’ and enforcement: where does enforcement fit in the regulators’ toolkit?

Enforcement by regulators and public authorities is on the rise, whether or not your business is in a regulated industry. 

This session will see our chair interviewing regulators in different sectors on how they seek to achieve their objectives and when enforcement may be used.

Including discussing what areas of business risk are more likely to attract enforcement rather supervisory or remedial engagement. 

Other topics will include:

- Suitable cases: what factors drive whether and when enforcement action will be taken and how do they shape the outcome?

- Individual vs company conduct: when will authorities look closely at individuals’ conduct and/or consider enforcement steps against individuals rather than the company or firm?

- Lessons learned: what lessons can businesses learn from looking at previous enforcement on how they engage with the process and how they operate more generally?

Speakers: Dario Dagostino, A&L Goodbody (moderator) / Seana Cunningham, Central Bank of Ireland / Úna Butler, Competition and Consumer Protection Commission / Tony Delaney, Data Protection Commission 

Leading the way on sustainability – the practical considerations

In this panel discussion, our moderator will be speaking with leaders in sustainability who will share their experiences with a focus on the:

- key challenges that the leadership team has faced in creating and implementing their sustainability strategy

- importance of embedding sustainability and ESG within a company's culture

- need for collaboration across all business functions

- approach to engagement with suppliers and others within the company's value chain.

Speakers: Jill Shaw, A&L Goodbody, (moderator) / Darragh Byrne, DCC plc / Owen Keogh, Musgrave Group / Kevin O'Neill, A&L Goodbody / Lorena Dunne, A&L Goodbody

Remuneration – strategy, transparency, scrutiny and culture

In this panel we will focus on a very pertinent topic for regulated firms, and the challenges they face balancing fixed and variable remuneration to reflect their culture and risk appetite. The session will be run observing Chatham House Rule.

Topics to be discussed include:

- Developing a remuneration strategy to comply with current and future regulation

- The role of the remuneration committee in scrutinising executive reward strategies and the importance of culture driving the right behaviours

- The practical impact of latest developments on remuneration in the financial services sector

Speakers: Keavy Ryan, A&L Goodbody, (moderator), Alison Kidd, FIT Remuneration Partners, Margaret O'Shea, Bank of America, Europe / Patrick Brandt, A&L Goodbody / Bríd Nic Suibhne, A&L Goodbody.

Windsor Framework – maximising opportunity and navigating regulatory divergence

US FDI is critically important to economic prosperity on the island of Ireland. President Biden has indicated the US stands ready, promising billions for investment after power sharing is restored, and alongside the implementation of the Windsor Framework. Our panel will explore the potential for FDI interest across the island of Ireland as a direct result of the Windsor Framework. A number of regulated sectors present key investment opportunities such as FinTech, advanced manufacturing, cyber security and health and life sciences. The panel will also consider the risks arising under any new or divergent regulatory oversight processes.

Speakers: Michael Neil, A&L Goodbody, (moderator) / Danny McCoy, IBEC / Gareth Hagan, OCO Global / Margaret Hearty, InterTradeIreland / Micaela Diver, A&L Goodbody / Chris Jessup, A&L Goodbody

Leveraging AI for Effective Compliance: A Changing World

As compliance and the management of risk are a perennial challenge for companies, the ability to automate this challenge provides significant upsides for businesses. The session will be a panel discussion looking at the new ways in which AI and machine learning can be leveraged by financial service firms to meet their compliance obligations. This will include discussion of real-time monitoring, natural language processing, and the use of generative AI in the context of compliance functionality and oversight, as well as regulators' focus on consumer protection and proving customer outcomes through a data-driven approach grows.

Speakers: Chris Martin, A&L Goodbody, (moderator)  / Daniel Wolff, Lucht Probst Associates / Rory McGrath, Corlytics / Louise Hogan /  A&L Goodbody / Joe O'Sullivan, A&L Goodbody 

‘Walk in my shoes' navigating personal liability

The grounds for holding executives and non-executives personally liable are ever increasing, and regimes such as the Individual Accountability Framework (IAF) in financial services are now formalising ways in which senior leaders can be found personally liable for a company or regulated firm’s failures. 

This practical session will discuss scenarios with industry leaders and consider steps for managing personal risk.

Other topics will include:

- Legal and regulatory exposure: in what circumstances might I be liable and are there different tests in different industries?

- Managing personal exposure: what steps can businesses and regulated firms take to identify and reduce the risk for executives and non-executives?

- Collective decision making: how to debate and document group decisions in the modern legal and regulatory landscape.

- Aligned and conflicting interests: when to spot a potential divergence of interest and how these can be addressed.

Speakers: Chloe Culleton, A&L Goodbody, (moderator) / Orla Joyce, HEINEKEN Ireland / Pauline Gallagher, Barclays Ireland PLC (BBI)  / Mark Devane, A&L Goodbody / Liam Murphy, A&L Goodbody