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Compliance Officer
Ensures organizations follow laws, regulations, and internal policies — prevents legal violations.
Did you know?
Under Europe's GDPR, a company can be fined up to 20 million euros or 4% of its worldwide yearly turnover, whichever is bigger.
How subjects help
- Law: Keep up with new regulations and check that the company's work follows them.
- Business Studies: Understand how each department works so rules fit smoothly into daily tasks.
- Philosophy: Weigh up tricky ethical questions when something is legal but still feels wrong.
- Computer Science: Use software to scan payments and flag signs of fraud or money laundering.
A famous name
Cynthia Cooper: Led the internal audit team that uncovered a $3.8 billion accounting fraud at WorldCom in 2002.
Try it yourself: Find the mistake in the accounts
- Add up the costs yourself. Does your total match the one written down?
- Look at the receipt numbers. Has anything been counted twice?
- Check every item against the rule on the card. Does anything break it?
- Write a short, polite note explaining what you found and what should be fixed.
Auditors, tax advisers and compliance officers check records against the real receipts and the rules, and explain clearly what needs fixing.
Also try: Run a mini survey.
Known for it in
USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland