Beth Colling – Common Sense and Compliance

Great Women in Compliance

Welcome to the Great Women in Compliance podcast on the Compliance Podcast Network, sponsored by Corporate Compliance Insights.

In this episode, Lisa speaks with Beth Colling, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at CDM Smith. Beth joined organizations after they had to address a significant regulatory change or investigation, and she worked to operationalize and then maintain a compliance program. Lisa and Beth specifically talk about how, as issues inevitably arise, compliance officers will get the resources they need to make and implement changes, but over time, memories fade, and the attention and resources may diminish. Beth provides her insight on this.

Beth uniquely evaluates her work and program by “firing herself” on Friday and re-hiring herself on Monday to examine it with new eyes. After the past several years, with the pandemic and hybrid work, this review became even more relevant. This leads to a discussion of “common sense,” not just within a compliance program but also in terms of personal responsibility and how employees rationalize bad behavior.

One of Beth’s (and Lisa’s) childhood heroes was “Wonder Woman,” and Beth may be Wonder Woman. Outside her work, she coaches young adults to enjoy running, and by the end of 2024, she will have completed 5 of the 6 “World Marathon Majors.”

You can join the LinkedIn podcast community.

Join the Great Women in Compliance podcast community here.