Top 10 Risk & Compliance Trends for 2026

Matt Kelly is editor and CEO of Radical Compliance, a blog and newsletter that follows corporate governance, risk, and compliance issues at large organizations. He speaks and writes on compliance, governance, and risk topics frequently. Follow him at @compliancememe or get in touch with him via email.

A specialist in corporate and digital law, Pierre Berlioz served as advisor to the French Minister of Justice during the development of Sapin 2, the duty of vigilance law, and the law for a Digital Republic. He was chief of staff to the National Company of Auditors president during CSRD negotiations. He later served as Europe and International Director of the Union of Industries and Trades of Metallurgy. Today, he teaches business law, compliance, and CSR at the University of Paris Cité and co-chairs the sustainable finance and ESG reporting committee of Medef.

Yuval Grauer is International EVP and Managing Director at NAVEX. He leads business growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and the Asia-Pacific region (APJ).

Based in London, Grauer spearheads initiatives to extend NAVEX solutions across high growth markets. He brings years of strategic insight from his time at McKinsey & Company, combined with deep operational expertise and a proven track record of growing and scaling global businesses of all sizes. He holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York, a Master of Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and continued studies in Economics at the Universitat de Barcelona.

For over 45 years, Joe Murphy, CCEP, has been a tireless champion of compliance and ethics in organizations and has done compliance work on six continents. He is currently an editor of the weekly newsletter, Compliance and Ethics: Ideas & Answers. Joe has published over 100 articles and given over 200 presentations in 21 countries. He is the author of 501 Ideas for Your Compliance & Ethics Program and A Compliance & Ethics Program on a Dollar a Day. He was named one of The National Law Journal’s 50 Governance, Risk and Compliance Trailblazers and Pioneers 2014 and received SCCE’s Compliance and Ethics Award. Joe has been recognized as a lifetime member of the Australian Compliance Institute.

Ed Mills

Employment law and business Immigration specialist | Workplace investigations expert

Ed Mills is a partner at Travers Smith with extensive experience in employment law, business immigration, and workplace investigations. He advises clients on a broad spectrum of employment-related challenges, from boardroom disputes and team moves to complex litigation, discrimination claims, and trade union issues.

Expert in employment law and business immigration

Ed regularly counsels organizations on TUPE transfers, collective consultation, and regulatory compliance, helping businesses navigate the legal landscape with confidence. His business immigration expertise includes advising on sponsorship requirements under the UK’s points-based visa system, ensuring clients remain compliant while attracting global talent.

Workplace investigations and whistleblowing

With significant experience conducting complex investigations, Ed frequently advises on whistleblowing disclosures and cross-border matters, working with multinational organizations to mitigate risk and uphold best practices in workplace compliance.

Recognized industry leader

Ed is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a leading expert in employment law, recognized for his ability to handle high-stakes cases with strategic insight and clarity.

Leading the HR and organization development functions, Cindy Raz brings more than 20 years’ experience leading human resources functions and business operations within rapid-growth organizations. Since joining NAVEX, Cindy has led several change initiatives associated with the merger and acquisition of multiple companies, including enhancing existing cultural programs, reducing undesired employee turnover and establishing people programs and strategies as a critical contribution to business success.  

Cindy has been nominated for the Portland Business Journal’s HR Leadership Award has served as a featured presenter at multiple industry events and is a featured HR Executive and Benefits Pro author. A graduate of Portland State University, she is certified as a senior certified professional with the Society for Human Resources Management and a senior professional in human resources with the Human Resources Certification Institute.

Kyle Martin is an experienced leader in compliance and risk management with 15 years in the industry. As Vice President of Product Management at NAVEX, Kyle spearheads strategic initiatives and guides clients all over the world in achieving effective GRC programs. Recognized for his expertise, Kyle has contributed as a speaker and thought leader in several GRC forums including Compliance Week, IIA/ISACA GRC and ISACA Xchange, while also leading initiatives at NAVEX such as the Customer Webinar Series and the cross-functional Risk Governance Leadership Team.

Sarah is the founder and managing director of Peopleknd., an HR consultancy based in London, specialising in various HR and People & Culture matters, including employment law, performance management, People Strategies, ED&I, staff engagement, HR policies & procedures, recruitment & selection, restructuring & redundancy, workforce planning, and organisational development. 

Contributing to thought leadership in HR, Sarah Jo authors the HR column for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Business Magazine. Sarah Jo studied Human Resources Management and Industrial Relations (MSc) at Alliance Manchester Business School (2012) and People Analytics at the University of Cambridge (2022). She is a keen supporter of inclusive entrepreneurship and female entrepreneurs.

Rebecca Walker is a partner in the Santa Monica, California office of Kaplan & Walker LLP, a law firm that counsels organizations on the development, implementation and enhancement of compliance and ethics programs. Rebecca specializes in compliance and ethics law and assists organizations in structuring their programs, revising codes of conduct and other related policies. She has conducted numerous assessments of compliance and ethics programs and has served as a monitor for the Department of the Air Force and consulted with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Rebecca is the author of Conflicts of Interest in Business and the Professions: Law and Compliance, as well as a number of other compliance surveys and published articles. Rebecca received her B.A. from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Daniel Kahn is a former senior DOJ official with more than two decades of experience in criminal and regulatory investigations and headed DOJ’s Fraud Section and FCPA Unit.  He represents companies and individuals in government enforcement matters, conducting internal investigations and in compliance matters, and has secured numerous favorable resolutions for clients with various enforcement authorities.  

Dan is ranked in Band 1 for his FCPA work by Chambers, which also recognizes him for White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations.  The Wall Street Journal described Dan as DOJ’s “most recognizable expert on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.”  At DOJ, Dan was acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division and Chief of the Fraud Section, and Chief of the FCPA Unit, and supervised matters involving the FCPA, money laundering, and commodities, securities, healthcare and procurement fraud.  

At DOJ, Dan played a central role in developing enforcement policies on the FCPA, corporate enforcement, compliance and monitors. He worked with authorities around the world, and tried a number of cases to verdict.  Dan co-authored a treatise on corporate criminal investigations, and teaches Corporate Criminal Investigations at Harvard Law School and Global Anti-Corruption at Georgetown Law Center.

As one of the earliest ethics officers in the industry, Carrie Penman previously served four years as deputy director of the Ethics and Compliance Officer Association, now ECI. A scientist by training, she developed and directed the first corporate-wide global ethics program at Westinghouse Electric Corporation between 1994 and 1999. Carrie now leads NAVEX’s risk management processes and oversees its internal ethics and compliance program.   

Carrie has extensive client-facing risk and compliance consulting experience, including more than 15 years as an adviser to boards and executive teams. Carrie was awarded the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Compliance 2020 by Compliance Week magazine. In 2017, she received the ECI’s Carol R. Marshall Award for Innovation in Corporate Ethics for an extensive career contributing to the advancement of the ethics and compliance field worldwide.