Whistleblowers: Voices of Justice
International Conference on Corporate Crime Reporting and Whistleblowers’ Protection
Friday 10th May 2019 | Coventry University, London
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A Partnership for Justice and Corporate Integrity
This international conference has been organised by the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity at Coventry University, in cooperation with the international law firm Constantine Cannon, the not-for-profit organisation WhistleblowersUK and the community network organisation MLROs.com
Whistleblowers: Heroes of our Time
Corporate criminal activities can cause a great deal of harm to the social texture, economy or environment of a country. Such illicit activities can also lead to irreversible damage to the reputation of any involved companies, while amongst the public such activities can lead to a general erosion of trust and the dismantling of the very ideal on which our communities are founded. Over the last two decades, it has emerged that, on the one hand, external and internal auditors and compliance officers often struggle to expose illicit behaviours occurring within public or private institutions, and on the other hand, a multitude of serious allegations of corporate misconduct have only come to light thanks to the extraordinary courage and profound sense of justice of individual whistleblowers.
Fostering Crime Reporting and Enhancing Whistleblowers’ Protection
It is now evident that the adoption of measures to encourage reporting of corporate criminal behaviours and to protect the individuals involved in such reporting play a crucial role in safeguarding the public interest and in fostering a culture of integrity and accountability in corporations and public institutions.
Honorary Patronage
This international conference is organised under the honorary patronages of both the Law Society of England and Wales, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing which was recently set up was set up in the United Kingdom with the specific aim to provide stronger protection for whistleblowers.
Participate and Change the World for the Better
Join distinguished scholars, politicians, journalists and whistleblowers for an exciting day of discussion and reflection regarding the most burning issues and crucial challenges related to whistleblowing.
Click on the Agenda tab at the top of the page to learn more about those who are chairing and participating in panel sessions, and giving the event’s Opening remarks and the Keynote speech.
Please make sure you check out our terms & conditions for this event.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance from Coventry University.
Where is the conference being held?
Coventry University’s London Campus
Coventry University London
University House
109-117 Middlesex Street
London
E1 7JF
Agenda & Speakers
Please click on the speakers to find out more about them.
08:00 – 09:00 |
Registration & BreakfastDelegate’s arrival / registration and a chance to grab a pre-event coffee and some nibbles before settling into the day’s busy schedule! |
09:00 – 09:10 |
IntroductionDr. Costantino Grasso, Assistant Professor in Law, Coventry University |
09:10 – 09:30 |
Greetings to Conference ParticipantsProf Panagiotis Andrikopoulos, Professor of Finance and Executive Director of the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity (CFCI), Coventry University |
09:30 – 10:00 |
Keynote SpeechRt Hon. Baroness Susan Veronica Kramer, Member of the House of Lords |
10:00 – 11:30 |
Morning Session 1 – Extra‐European Perspectives on WhistleblowingThis panel will explore some of the most complex issues related to corporate crime reporting that have emerged in and innovative approaches to whistleblowing that have been adopted by Extra‐European jurisdictions. Specifically, the panellists will cover topical issues such as the crucial role played by whistleblowers in unveiling economic crime where offshore financial centres are involved; the increasingly extensive use of the use of whistleblower rewards; and the fierce political debate on the potential impact of secrecy laws on whistleblowers. Chair Prof Peter Alldridge, Drapers’ Professor of Law, Queen Mary, University of London Panel: Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Professor Labour Law & Offshore Financial Law, UWI |
11:30 – 12:00
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Morning CoffeeSelection of teas, coffees, cakes and fresh juice available. |
12:00 – 13:30 |
Morning Session 2 – UK and European Perspectives on WhistleblowingOver the course of the latest years, Europeans have been badly shaken by the scale of political and corporate corruption that has been unveiled by the Panama Papers, Bahama Leaks, and Paradise Papers scandals. Such leaks have stimulated an intense discussion on whistleblowing and corporate crime reporting all over the continent, and many new legal instruments have been developed in several jurisdictions. This panel will explore some of these recent approaches to whistleblowing both at the domestic and the European Union level. Chair: Prof Samuel W. Buell, Bernard M. Fishman Professor of Law, Duke University Panel: Prof. Nicholas Ryder, Professor in Financial Crime, Bristol Law School |
13:30 – 14:30 |
LunchA buffet will be provided for lunch with drinks and snacks also available. |
14:30 – 16:00 |
Afternoon Session 1 – Select Issues on WhistleblowingWhistleblowing and corporate crime reporting represent just a single aspect of the complex and multifaceted economic and corporate crime scenarios. This panel will try to explore the most intriguing interconnections between the key role played by whistleblowers and other crucial aspects of financial delinquency. In particular, the panellists will cover burning issues such as the criminalisation of whistleblowers; the most innovative organisational solutions that can be adopted to establish effective whistle-blowing arrangements; and the intimate relationship between investigative journalism and whistleblowing. Chair: Prof Mark Button, Director of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies, University of Portsmouth Panel: Dr Wim Vandekerckhove, Reader in Business Ethics, University of Greenwich |
16:00 – 16:30 |
Afternoon CoffeeSelection of teas, coffees, cakes and fresh juice available. |
16:30 – 18:00 |
Afternoon Session 2 – Whistleblowers’ Stories: A Tale of JusticeThis innovative and breakthrough panel will be entirely devoted to narrating some of the most intriguing and dramatic whistleblowers’ stories. The panellists, who will be individuals directly or closely involved in the events, will offer a vivid recollection of the events illustrating the corrupt mechanics that allowed the occurrence of the criminal activities, the difficulties they encountered in unveiling the truth, the consequences they faced for their moral courage as well as the corporate, civil society, and government’s responses to their brave actions. Chair: Georgina Halford-Hall, CEO and Founder, WhistleblowersUK Participants: John Christensen, Case: States of Jersey |
18:00 – 18:10 |
Whistleblowing Award CeremonyHost: Mary Inman, Partner, Constantine Cannon LLP, London |
18:10 – 18:30 |
Closing RemarksProf Panagiotis Andrikopoulos, Professor of Finance and Executive Director of the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity (CFCI), Coventry University |
Contact us
Contact the event organisers via costantino.grasso@coventry.ac.uk
Scientific Coordinator
Dr Costantino Grasso, Coventry University
Organisers
Prof Panagiotis Andrikopoulos, Coventry University
Dr Costantino Grasso, Coventry University
Mary Inman, Constantine Cannon LLP
Georgina Halford-Hall, WhistleblowersUK
David Pelled, MLROs.com