Ropes & Gray Hosts Launch of Transparency International UK’s Corporate Anti-Bribery Benchmark

On March 12, Ropes & Gray hosted a panel session at its London office to mark the launch of Transparency International UK’s Corporate Anti-Bribery Benchmark 2025.

This corporate self-assessment tool aids companies in evaluating the effectiveness of their anti-corruption and integrity programs. Ropes & Gray collaborated closely with Transparency International UK and PwC to revise the Benchmark and facilitated an expert panel discussion as part of the launch event.

The event attracted a large audience, requiring additional seating and expanded space to accommodate all attendees. The panel featured Alex Rene and Amanda Raad, partners in Ropes & Gray’s global Anti-Corruption & International Risk practice, Daniel Bruce, CEO of Transparency International UK, and Kristen Pisciotta, partner at PwC UK. The discussion, moderated by Rory Donaldson, covered critical issues in anti-corruption enforcement and compliance best practices, with Donaldson also presenting the Benchmark.

The key discussion points included:  

• Anti-corruption compliance remains more important than ever despite shifting global enforcement priorities. The uncertainty about U.S. enforcement priorities under the current administration makes robust compliance programs more critical than ever. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) remains a valid law with a statute of limitation that extends beyond the current U.S. administration. There are other U.S. and foreign laws that prohibit bribery, and bribery is not good for business or culture. Further, commercial pressure during times of change makes messaging of corporate values and expectations even more important.
• Don’t underestimate the value of a holistic risk assessment. With shifting enforcement priorities and new laws around the world, including the Failure to Prevent Fraud offence introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) coming into force in the UK in September 2025, refreshed holistic risk assessments are of paramount importance. To understand key risk areas, companies should look across the business in its entirety, leveraging all available data. Instead of being driven by enforcement trends, compliance efforts should be driven by updated risk assessments. 
• Culture is a critical part of any successful compliance program. Businesses are run by people, and one cannot take the human element out of the equation. A focus on culture*, allows business leaders to understand the context people are living and working in and evaluate how to effectively influence compliant behaviors.

*Compliance programs built without taking into consideration organizational and local culture are unlikely to succeed. Amanda Raad is a co-founder of the R&G Insights Lab which has pioneered a multi-dimensional data-driven and human-centered approach to solving complex legal and business challenges. The Lab uses analytics to drive informed decision-making; behavioral science to confront the realities of human bias and decision-making; and the principles of human-centered design to develop innovative solutions that prioritize individual experiences and employee needs.

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