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{ Feature } the appointment last year of a veteran Magna lawyer to the new post of chief legal off cer. “ We already have a process in A cross-functional team of executive off cers, reporting to Mag- snC-lavalin. now we need na’s board of directors, oversees the legal compliance program. to check and balance if this Each Magna operating group has its own compliance committees process will work over there. with participation of senior management. As well, Magna lawyers ” have conducted more than 300 face-to-face training sessions in Réjean Goulet, EVP & GC, SNC-Lavalin multiple languages, with plans for regular web-based training and other procedures to limit the risk of non-compliance. “The crisis is not over yet,” concedes Réjean Goulet, SNC- “The goal is always to be more pro-active than responsive,” says Trecroce. Lavalin executive vice-president and general counsel, who sits on the ethics and compliance committee. For companies that have run afoul of the law, the road to With its $2.1-billion acquisition earlier this year of Kentz reputational recovery is slow and expensive. Corp. Ltd., a global oil and gas services company, SNC-Lavalin SNC-Lavalin, a major engineering and construction f rm with off ces in 50 countries, is in the middle of a major trust- now has to demonstrate adherence to squeaky-clean behaviour across an enlarged corporation. “We already have a process in building effort after a scandal two years ago led to half a dozen senior off cials being charged with fraud and corruption for SNC-Lavalin,” says Goulet. “Now we need to check and balance if this process will work over there.” overseas business dealings. Last year, the World Bank barred the Back at Goldcorp, Ripley ref ects on her intense f rst year on the engineering and construction giant from bidding on agency- job. Negotiations continue on a settlement of the Peñasquito mine f nanced projects for up to 10 years. dispute, a revised anti-bribery policy is in place, and she has ex- Over the past two years, SNC-Lavalin has revised its code of panded the roster of in-house lawyers in Mexico (likely 10 by year- ethics and business conduct, appointed a chief compliance off - end, from 4 in 2013) to deepen knowledge of Mexican cer, established an ethics and compliance committee and taken regulations critical to Goldcorp’s bottom line. other measures to strengthen accountability and transparency. “I feel very good about how we are manag- Earlier this year, it received certif cation from the Quebec gov- ing the situation,” she says. ❚ ernment to bid on public contracts but still faces an ongoing probe by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a threatened class action from shareholders. Jennifer Lewington is a writer based in Stratford, Ontario. LA RÉFÉRENCE THE BENCHMARK EN PROPRIÉTÉ FOR INTELLECTUAL INTELLECTUELLE PROPERTY DEPUIS/SINCE 1892 AVOCATS, AGENTS DE BREVETS ET DE MARQUES DE COMMERCE LAWYERS, PATENT AND TRADEMARK AGENTS Montréal & Québec robic.ca Canadian Corporate Counsel assoCiation | CCCa-aCCje.org 21 Client: Robic Agence: MP1 (Sylvie Ferland 514.979.7470) Parution: CCCA Magazine Date: mai 2013 Format: 1/2 page, 7" x 4,875" Couleurs: 4 couleurs