The Face of Strong Ethics
In today’s installment of our multi-part Get To Know Us Better series, we share with you how one person’s passion for doing the right thing has helped shape the company’s culture of shared beliefs and expectations.
In a company the size and scope of Goldcorp, doing business in several global jurisdictions and adhering to local, regional and federal regulations amidst diverse cultural contexts, it’s imperative to have strong ethics and compliance standards. Equally important is having keen eyes to oversee that every “T” is crossed.
That’s the job of Diego Venegas. As Director of Ethics & Compliance, he works closely with Goldcorp’s Ethics Committee to ensure that the connecting thread through all facets of everyday operations is the high degree of integrity that defines who we are and how we work.
Venegas joined Goldcorp in 2007, visiting mine sites, learning about processes and procedures, as well as regional and regulatory factors. He strengthened policies to ensure actions and transactions conform consistently across operations, formalized in a Code of Conduct. By 2012, he was head of Ethics & Business Conduct, dedicated to aligning employee and corporate integrity. Since then, Venegas has broadened scope to cover all key Ethics & Compliance aspects. “These two words entail certain things we must do to conduct business, and a certain way we should act,” he says.
This requires Venegas to be part preacher, part policeman: "My job is a mix of extolling sound decisions, vigilance and deterrence. But ultimately, my role is one of personal connections, not simply handing out a Code of Conduct or off-the-shelf training. Our programs unite personal convictions with company values. Communicated top down, in person, online and site driven. Rather than paper-based controls, we create a culture of shared beliefs and expectations.”
From new hire inductions to ongoing refresher modules, training and campaigns are developed for engaging presentation, featuring real case studies and scenarios that pose potential risk, as well as Code sections broken out and themed. Moreover, Venegas routinely performs audits and system analyses to monitor high risk transactions and third parties.
Recently, he and Ethics Committee members implemented a global process to ensure consistent standards of risk assessment and due diligence for third parties, and detection tools to filter and flag unusual items requiring follow-up. All of which increase visibility, transparency and the culture of compliance.
Aside from his day job, Venegas is also Board member and Treasurer for Transparency International Canada (TIC), a non-profit entity with chapters in more than 100 countries, with a laudable mission to thwart corruption around the globe. “My participation in TIC allows me to interact with world experts in anti-corruption, and address issues and concerns that link well with my role at Goldcorp. I’m proud to be part of two organizations that allocate resources for the greater good.”
To review Goldcorp’s Code of Conduct, click here.
